Between Two Wings
by RoriLeeSmith
Summary: The sequel to the OC story Between Two Lungs. The supernatural population in Mystic Falls is steadily increasing. Vampires aren't the only ones on the block, now there are new players in the game and things are about to get messy. One thing's for sure, being undead isn't as glamorous as you may think.
1. Before You Start Your Day

**Between Two ****Wings**

**The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where the one ends, and where the other begins?**

**Edgar Allen Poe**

**Chapter One: Before You Start Your Day**

_Look in the mirror and ask your soul if you're alright  
Put out the glitter that your soul hides behind  
You're in my mind, I'm singing, nowhere were they holy  
Open up your eyes and see the clouds above will hold you  
The clouds above will sing and in your mind you're singing_

_~Twenty One Pilots_

The sunlight filtering through the open window warmed her sensitive skin. It left it tingling as her eyes slowly opened. The feeling contrasted beautifully with the cool soft sheets she was laying on. It sent a sensation over her body, lulling her back to sleep. She wanted to bask in this, close her eyes and drift, but she fought against it. Her eyes stayed fixed on the creature lying next to her.

As she rolled out of sleep, she became more aware of his presence. Nilin was surrounded by him. His scent stuck to everything around her, arousing her new senses. It was the smell of old leather from the jacket he'd been wearing the night before, the bar of soap he uses every morning, that spicy cinnamon smell that she always registered with the boarding house, and something entirely new to her. She snuggled further down into the bed as she watched his closed, pale eyelids quivering while he slept. His head was turned towards her as his chest rose and fell in the slightest movement. Dark raven locks fell carelessly on his forehead and stood out on the white pillow he rested on.

Her eyes traveled to his lips as she bit hers. They were somewhat parted, curled in the corners to resemble a soft smile. As she laid there on her stomach— pillows forgotten, sheets tangled— Nilin was completely entranced by the sight beside her.

Watching as Damon dreamed peacefully, she wondered if he had always looked like this or if this was her new found 20/20 vision at play. She desperately wanted to run her hand across the bed and touch him, just to make sure he was real. That this wasn't some dream, some beautiful dream. At the same time though, she feared waking him and ending the moment.

It was stolen instants like this that kept her grounded. She had found a new appreciation from them. Nilly lifted her cheek off the mattress, cranking her neck to look around the room in search for her phone. Her phone which was in the front pocket of her jeans… but where were her jeans?

Damon's room had been torn apart. Tattered clothing laid in piles, thrown over lamps, scattered around the room. The only blanket that remained on the bed was a very thin white sheet that was barely covering the both of them. The rest of his expensive bedding was kicked to the end of the bed and spilling over on the floor.

And of course, there sitting on the night stand, was the catalyst of last night. Damon's special bottle of wine that he insisted they crack open in celebration. And did they celebrate. The bottle was drained, and so were the two wine glasses knocked over next to it.

What were they commemorating exactly? Well, surviving the summer.

He was going to have a fun time cleaning this up. She gave up looking and lowered her head back down with a sigh. Apparently, it was enough to stir the sleeping vampire. His eyes cracked open immediately, revealing the dark irises beneath them.

"Good morning," she said softly.

Damon's lips twitched into a smile as he took in the sight of her. Slowly, he shifted onto his side to face her, propping his chin on his hand. God, she was beautiful. Nilin was what poetry was made up of, the space between breaths, what spring days after a long winter felt like, she was every cheesy analogy he could think of. Kinda made him nauseous, but at the moment, he'd accept it. It was her fault, anyway, she was the reason for Damon Salvatore turning into mush.

Nilin was more alive than he had ever seen her… which was completely ironic. There she laid before him, her hair wild with bed head and the rigorous activities of the night before. Curls sprang all over the place, on her forehead, down her bare back, cascading onto the sheets. Peering up at him, it looked as if she had a halo of them around her. The thought made him want to laugh.

Her cheek rested on her one hand, while her other hand mindlessly played with the tip of his pillowcase. Those blue eyes of hers looked up at him meekly. "Why are you staring at me like that?" she asked with an almost innocent smile on her lips.

"Like what?" he asked, smirking. He swept his eyes down her body. It was completely bare besides the cotton sheet that draped sensually over her lower back and legs. The rest of his sheets were crumbled and kicked to the end of the bed. Looking back up at her, he could hear her unusually slow heartbeat puttering. He loved the fact that he had that kind of affect on her.

She felt her cheeks heat up as she watched him. She couldn't help it. The intensity of his stare caused her stomach to clench up and butterflies to erupt. Nilin watched as a smirk came to his lips, then she was suddenly across the bed and flushed up against his bare chest.

His head dipped down, capturing her lips. Arms wrapped around her, pressing them together. Nilly managed to squeeze her hand out from between their chests to cradle his face to hers, kissing him slowly.

She could feel his one hand start to run down her body. His fingers traced down her back, following the curve of her shoulder blade. Then they swept over her stomach and across her hipbone. As his hand ran back up against the bumps of her ribs, she felt his fingers touch the cool, raised scar right under the last one. A ghost pain shot through her gut, causing her to gasp.

Reflexively, Nilin's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him. Damon paused in his movements, realizing what had happened. Her heart rate skyrocketed and he picked up on it. She took in a deep breath before slowly unclasping her fingers from around his wrist. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Shh, it's okay," he told her, tilting her head up to him. His lips found hers again and the incident was quickly forgotten. Damon wasn't one to dwell on things like that, and at the moment, Nilin appreciated it. A pleasurable shiver ran through her as the kiss deepened and she felt him smirk against her lips.

"I could get use to this," he said when they finally broke apart. His hand began to trace down her arm, sending jolts of electricity though her body. Feeling brave she tested her strength out and rolled them over so that he was under her.

"So can I," Nilly said, smirking down at him as her hair framed their faces. It was nothing impressive, her little power boost, but she leaned down and kissed him anyway. Suddenly there was a rush of air and she found herself on her back again with a rather menacing looking vampire above her.

He always had to remind her who the meaner, stronger, faster being was. Even with her transition into a light being, angel— whatever the hell you want to call it— she was still no match for an hundred plus year old vampire. Well, not yet anyway, she was only starting to understand her supernatural side.

Nilly just rolled her eyes and tried to squirm out from underneath him. He complied somewhat, allowing her to sit up against the head board of his bed, pulling the sheet with her. He rested on her legs, draping an arm over them as he looked up towards her.

"Don't get too comfortable," Nilin sighed. "If we get caught by our siblings it's all over."

"I don't get caught," Damon smirked, kissing her kneecap. "Besides, if you haven't noticed, no one's even home."

Nilin went to laugh when she realized something. Nearly knocking Damon off of her, she turned to look at the clock on the side table, cursing promptly after seeing the time.

"Shit. I'm going to be so late," she hissed, trying to untangle herself from Damon completely and leave the bed. Just as her feet were about to touch the hardwood floor she found herself lying on her back and staring up at Damon again. He had a devilish smirk on his face that caused her to get very nervous.

"Ah ah ah, where do you think you're going?" he asked her, his hands braced on either side of her head. Nilly tried to push on his chest and sit up, but even with her above average strength she couldn't budge him.

"Damon, come on." Nilly tired, but he didn't seem to be paying attention as he swooped down and started peppering her neck with kisses. "This isn't funny," she pushed on his shoulders. His lips just traced down her neck to her collarbone. Her hands, with a mind of their own, moved themselves to tangle her fingers into his hair. "It's the first day of school and I'm already going to be late." It was a last ditch effort, but there was no conviction in her voice.

"Damon," Nilly groaned out his name as he outlined her sternum with his lips. "I can't be late."

He looked up at her, his chin resting on her tense stomach. "I'll be quick," Damon grinned as he placed another kiss right above her belly button.

"I'm serious," she swore, but her eyes had fluttered closed at this point.

"I'll drive you," he reasoned before dipping his head down again and pressing his lips to her soft skin. Nilly gave up, letting her head fall back on the bed.

She was going to be so late, starting the school year off strong.

Who needed an education anyway?

* * *

Shellie sat on one of the picnic tables on the side of the school, sucking up as much sun as she could before the bell rang and she had to shuffle off to her last year of high school. Her hands rested behind her as she embraced the sun at a ninety degree angle. Her legs were outstretched in front of her, ankles crossed. She was going to miss this.

The bell sounded and people started to make their way into the building. Unenthusiastically she sat up and fixed her navy blue floral skirt and white blouse, starting to feel a bit anxious. Annoying greetings of friends and the constant 'How was your summer?' began to buzz around Shellie.

She found herself asking the same question to her memory. Her summer was a weird one. It felt like it was just one obsessive, psychotic vampire after another. Then of course there were the near death experiences and the actual death experience. Shellie cut the train of thought there, a shiver running down her spine.

It wasn't the time to be thinking about this, not when she had to mentally prepare herself for one and eighty days of public education. Just as she was about to slide off the table, Shellie heard a familiar voice. She turned her head in time to see Nilly sliding out of a blue convertible. "Well, speak of the devils," she murmured to herself.

Nilin was wearing a simple black dress that had a lace detail to it and a plain black wedge. Her hair fell in spiraling curls like it usually did. Her makeup was the same, nothing too fancy or different.

It was a good sight to see; Nilin, seemingly normal. Shellie had grown use to the Nilin who was swimming in sweats and blankets with red eyes and chalky skin. That was what was left of her after that late August day.

It had been a rough few weeks. Nilin had been in a haze since she came back, it's worried everyone. But as Shellie watched her, you could never tell that the girl took a roundtrip to the Otherside. It was impressive. She guessed it was Damon's doing.

Shellie watched as Nilly leaned through the car window once more, her face was obscured for a minute before she straightened up with a wide smile on her lips. She slugged her bag over her shoulder as the car drove away. Shellie shook her head, popping out of her own thoughts and hopping towards her.

"Don't you know you're not supposed to get rides from strange old men?" Shellie asked, a smile on her face. Nilin rolled her eyes as she started for the main entrance, Shellie keeping pace next to her.

"Don't you know it's looked down upon to seduce younger guys?" Nilly retorted back. Shellie let out a laugh as they made their way up the concrete steps.

"I'm not seducing anyone, and are two years really all that bad?" Shellie asked, raising a sharp eyebrow as she wiggled her pointer and middle fingers at Nilin.

"It is when it's my little cousin," Nilly said, adjusting her bag.

Shellie cut ahead of Nilin, turning to smile at her, her hair falling perfectly over her shoulder. "Not so little anymore," she winked.

"Ew," Nilin groaned.

She just laughed, nudging Nilly's side. "So, how have you been? I haven't seen you in a few days. Damon stopped bringing you around the book store." As she spoke, Shellie tried to keep her voice light but kept watching Nilin from her peripherals.

"I'm okay, yeah, I've just been busy. Last minute school preparations," she explained quickly as they walked.

"Mmm," Shellie just murmured, looking at the slight brunette next to her. Up close, Shellie could see that Nilin truly was doing better. Her eyes were vivid and alert. Her hair was washed, curls lying lightly on her shoulders. She was even smiling to herself.

"If I wasn't okay, I'd tell you, Shells," Nilin said and Shellie realized she had been staring at her.

She blinked a couple of times. "I know that," she said. Her eyes landed on anything but Nilin. "So, how's your memory?" Shellie asked, moving the conversation along. "Anything coming back to you?"

Nilin shook her head as she adjusted the bag on her shoulder again, pulling the hair that got caught under it. "Nope, nothing, August is still a blank slate up here," she tapped a finger to her temple.

Shellie gnawed on her bottom lip, she released it to say, "Well, there has to be something to jog it." Since Nilin's return, she had been suffering a supernatural amnesia of sorts. Shellie had seen it before, it happened when a human mind was forced to cope with an inhuman invasion— a sort of defense mechanism, if you will.

Her shoulders bounced up and down in a shrug. "Hopefully," Nilly sighed.

"Don't worry," Shellie told her. "It's bound to work itself out," she explained, looking at the classroom numbers. "Well, here's as far as I go," she grinned, stopping at her Calculus class. "If you need any thing, don't hesitate."

Nilin just smiled. "Will do."

"Good luck," she winked before slipping into the classroom and leaving Nilin to shake her head.

Nilly continued down the hall, following her schedule to her first class. As she maneuvered through the hallways of the high school, she started to realize the lingering eyes. After her eventful summer she would be surprised if there was no gossip on the latest edition to Mystic High School.

She just shrugged it off, holding her head up high. For once in her life she was happy with everything going on and she wasn't going to let her senior year ruin that. She kept that thought in her head as she rounded the corner and collided with the blonde clean-cut, manicured Caroline Forbes. Just her luck.

The girl sent daggers Nilin's way, her mouth opening to spew out some insult but she never got the chance. Elena appeared, putting her hand on Caroline's shoulder. She smiled at her sister.

"There you are," Elena said sweetly. "You already left this morning before I got a chance to see you," she continued. Nilin smiled, trying to look natural. She didn't want Elena to realize she never actually went home last night. Whoops. That would not end well for her.

"Yeah, I had some things to take care of. Sorry," Nilin said slyly.

Though Elena and Stefan had been more tolerant with the idea of Nilin and Damon, they weren't their number one supporters. Finding out that Nilly had spent the night would most likely raise hell around them. Caroline cleared her throat, returning the attention to her.

"Elena, we really should get to class. Wouldn't want to be late," she suggested with a tight smile on her face, directed at Nilly.

"Go ahead, Care. I'm going to walk Nilin to her class." Elena told the less then happy girl.

"What, are you going to hold her hand while she crosses the road too?" Caroline snapped. "She's a big girl now. Well, at least I think she is." Caroline leered, deliberately looking Nilin up and down with scrutinizing eyes.

Nilly ran an uncomfortable hand through her hair. "Forget it Elena, its fine. I'll see you later," she said, brushing past them and down the hallway. She secretly wished that Elena would follow after and actually walk with her to class, but she never did. When she glanced over her shoulder, Elena and Caroline were heading in the opposite direction.

Nilly brushed it off, trying to maintain the positive attitude she had when she had walked in here. But she already knew how this day was going to end.

* * *

Most of her classes seemed fairly easy this year. She was just taking the courses to graduate, all she needed was a few more credits and she'd be out of here. Her English class seemed pretty simple. First on the reading list was Edgar Allen Poe's _Annabelle Lee_, which Nilly could probably recite from memory on the spot.

_It was many and many a year ago,  
In a kingdom by the sea,  
That a maiden there lived whom you may know  
By the name of Annabel Lee;  
And this maiden she lived with no other thought  
Than to love and be loved by me.  
I was a child and she was a child,  
In this kingdom by the sea;  
But we loved with a love that was more than love-  
I and my Annabel Lee;  
With a love that the winged seraphs of heaven  
Coveted her and me._

Yup, she still had it in her.

Her math and science classes might be a different story, but she'd get by on them. Because of her transfer, she needed to add a second history class to graduate. So that meant that she had to take American History _and_ Euro at the same time. When she saw this Nilin had internally groaned, but there was nothing she could do about it at this point.

Lunch was thrown in the middle of her day, somewhere. Nilly found herself eating alone outside. She couldn't take the constant chatter and noise of the cafeteria. It took all of five minutes before it drove her crazy. On top of that she had to hear all the inadequate, pointless gossip that seemed to run on an unvarying loop in high school. She preferred the peacefulness of the outdoor patio to the irritating cafeteria.

Finally, the last class of the day came and Nilly found herself walking into the classroom of Alaric Saltzman. She had to double check her schedule to make sure this was her class and, well enough, her seventh period was American History with none other than a Mr. Alaric Saltzman.

Well, this just made things a bit awkward. With everything else going on it had slipped her mind that the part-time vampire hunter taught as a history teacher. She quickly ducked her head and scurried to an empty seat in the back corner of the class just to find that she had sat down next a very familiar bubbly person.

"Does this make three classes we have together now?" Shellie asked, leaning over the aisle and poking Nilin.

Nilly immediately calmed down, releasing the breath that she had been holding. "Yeah, lucky number three," Nilly said quietly, motioning to the teacher at the chalk board.

Shellie's eyes widened in realization as she looked at the front of the room and back at Nilly. "Ooh," she gasped. "That's the guy Damon and my cousin mugged for weapons."

"More or less," Nilly said in a hushed voice as Alaric— Mr. Saltzman —turned around to greet them. Shellie and Nilin straightened up in their seats, eyes forwards, hands clasped on top of the desk.

"Welcome back, guys," he said with a smile on his face. If he had recognized Nilin sitting at her desk, he didn't show it as he went through the motions of first day blab.

After forty-five long minutes the final bell rang. Nilly and Shellie simultaneously rocketed out of their seats and hastened towards the door. Just as they were about to leave, Alaric stopped Nilly, asking her to stay for a moment.

"I'll wait for you outside," Shellie said as she passed her. Nilin nodded before turning back to her teacher.

She smiled at him. "Hi, Alaric," she said sweetly. Nilly hugged her books to her chest as Alaric leaned back on the edge of his desk.

"I haven't seen you lately," he said, eyeing her suspiciously. Alaric and Jenna had this thing going on, though neither would admit it was a relationship yet. They seemed pretty serious, which meant Alaric was at her house more or less on a daily basis and Nilin was more or less avoiding him. Apparently she had done a good job at it.

"I've been busy," she told him.

"I just wanted to check on you. I know you went through some, uh stuff, this summer," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder. For some reason Nilly felt slightly annoyed at the fact that he didn't know everything, yet he claimed to. Not even Nilin herself could remember what happened.

"I'm dealing," she lied. "It wouldn't have been my first encounter with vampires." Nilly noticed the way his face seemed to harden at the mention of the 'v' word.

He cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest. Was the big bad history teacher uncomfortable? "Yes, well. I was just concerned and, I don't know if I'm overstepping my boundaries here but, I just want you to be careful." Alaric said, giving her a genuine smile.

"Thank you, Alaric, but really there is nothing and no one to worry about. I promise," Nilly said, nodding her head before turning to leave, calling a 'have a nice day' over her shoulder.

She didn't particularly like the fact that the whole reason for Alaric moving to her home town was to kill the vampire that he thought murdered his wife, other wise known as Damon Salvatore.

Alaric had made this accusation back in the weeks of summer leading up to Nilin's death. Obviously, that vendetta had been put on the back burner because Alaric was still alive and well. She just hoped it stayed that way.

Nilin liked Alaric. He was genuine and made her aunt happy. He even seemed to care about Nilly, even though she was the reason for some discomfort in his life. The chance to say more to him was squashed as she scurried out of the room, not giving either of them the chance to say another word.

She made a quick stop at her locker before she left the school and spotted Shellie waiting for her outside. When she saw Nilly, she pushed off the tree she was leaning on and walked over to her. Shellie slid her bag up her arm as they started walking towards her car.

"What was that all about?" she asked. The car's lights flashed, the doors clicking noisily unlocked.

"I'm not entirely sure," Nilly shrugged as she slipped into the passenger's seat of Shellie's car. "I don't know if he was asking me or warning me."

"About?" Shellie asked, starting the car and roaring out of the senior parking lot.

Nilly flopped her head to the side, eyeing the slight girl. "Guess," was all she said. Shellie made that 'Oooh' sound, nodding her head. "Yeah, can't say I enjoyed that conversation." The anxious feeling started to crawl into her throat. It was a sensation she had grown accustomed to lately. Everything seemed to make her uneasy, Nilin didn't know why. It was nauseating.

"Well you could switch classes, but then you wouldn't have me to keep you entertained," she said, a grin on her face and her eyes on the road.

Nilin chuckled a little, as she rubbed her shoulder blade. "Oh whatever would I do without you," she asked sarcastically.

Shellie just gave her a pointed look, scrunching her nose.

This managed to mask her nervousness as she started to laugh. "Besides," Nilin laughed. "I can deal with it. I'm pretty sure Alaric isn't going to whip out a stake in between Gettysburg battles."

"What battles?" Shellie asked.

"Never mind," Nilly said, shaking her head. "Don't hurt yourself," she teased, leaning her head back on the headrest.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

First chapter up guys. This is crazy. I've been writing like a mad woman and now I finally get to share all this with you. I have to say it again, THANK YOU. I never thought I'd get this far and now I'm publishing the first chapter to the sequel. I'm going to have to be posting randomly due to summer plans, but I'll try to do a couple chapters a week.

See you soon though, promise :)

_**Rori Lee Smith **_

Don't forget to _**Favorite, Follow and Review**_ if you haven't already. It means so much to me and it gets the story out there to more people, shich is something every writer wants. So thank you.

**Get the look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_one_nilin/set?id=127649521

Shellie's Outfit: /chapter_one_shellie/set?id=127649766

Elena & Caroline's Outfits: /chapter_one_elena_caroline/set?id=127649870

**Get the song:**

Before You Start Your Day by Twenty One Pilots

Youtube DOT com /watch?v=YeX7tFStU50


	2. Better Version

**Chapter Two: Better Version**

_Excuse the wall, I put it up from time to time  
__A silver shade, and the design is all mine  
__It's just a maze that everyday I seem to be stuck in  
__It never seems to fade away but I pray for the day it ends  
__I am not perfect and I don't claim to be  
__And if that's what you wanted  
__Well then I'm so sorry_

_~Shinedown_

The bookstore had become a safe haven for Nilin in some ways after her transition. She was even given her own key to it. It was put to good use, especially on nights when Nilly couldn't sleep. There was never a reason she couldn't sleep, no nightmares or ramped thoughts. Sleep just wouldn't happen for her. So she would sneak out of her house, make the short drive into town and sit amongst the books for hours. Magnolia and Shellie didn't seem to mind at all, as long as Nilin put the books back when she was finished.

Now, as she followed Shellie through the front entrance and heard the familiar chime of the bell, they found Magnolia at her usual perching place behind the counter. She looked up from the book she was immersed in for a second and then back down. "How was your first day?" she asked, turning the page.

"Do you really want to know?" Nilly asked, pulling herself up to sit on top of the counter.

Magnolia shook her head, her eyes never leaving the page. "No, not really," she mumbled. She turned the page again. "What I do want to know is why you're so anxious? It's making me twitch," she continued and Nilin noticed Mags's long fingers drumming on the countertop.

Nilin didn't realize how tight her chest had grown, it was borderline painful when Magnolia brought attention too it. Trying to seal up her emotions as much as she could, Nilin attempted to think of puppies and rainbows.

"Not working," Mags said, eyeing her over the book.

"I'm sorry," Nilly sighed. "You know how hard it's been controlling my emotions. There was no 'Side Effects May Include' that went along with this." Nilin tired to explain, quickly feeling herself getting worked up.

Magnolia just sighed, closing the book. "I know, just warn me the next time you have a bad day at school. I'll pop a few aspirin before you come over."

"Oh, come on. Is it really that bad?" Shellie as she skipped over to the counter.

Nilly and Mags turned their heads and said at the same time, "Yes."

"Well, then." Shellie huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

Nilin just laughed a little and turned back to Mags. "I'm really digging the new hair cut. I like it," she said. Magnolia had chopped all her hair off the other day. Her long brown hair was now snipped to shoulder length, longer in the front and short in the back. She also died it, getting rid of the burgundy in it and lightening the ends instead.

Mags ran her fingers through the short hair. "Eh," she shrugged. "It was time for change," she told Nilin.

"I knew she would like it," Shellie said, wiggling her eyebrows a little. "She had such an attitude about it, but now look how good she looks. I would never be able to pull off short hair. Nuh-uh, nope," she shook her head.

"You look good," Nilin laughed, looking to Mags.

Mags just rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Th_aaa_nks."

A thought came to Nilly's mind. "Hey you guys want to see something cool? It's my latest trick." Nilly smiled proudly, tucking her legs under her to sit cross legged on the counter.

"I don't think your freaky light thing can be considered a trick," Mags said, walking around the register to stand in front of Nilly. She crossed her arms, watching Nilin skeptically.

"Either way, it's cool. Wanna see it or not?" she said, raising an eyebrow. Magnolia waved her hand, ushering Nilly on. "Turn the lights off, Shells." Nilin smirked.

A moment later the lights in the shop dimmed and Shellie came to stand next to Mags. Almost immediately Nilin felt the pressure in her chest, she'd grown used to it over the days. It had become familiar to her.

It was strange how it worked. Usually, like on occasions such as this, she only needed to think about doing something and it would happen. But other times, her emotions would take over, that's when she'd lose it.

Nilin took in a deep breath as Mags and Shellie watched her closely. "See," she started. "It's like a muscle… well that's how Damon explained it. The more I work at it, the more control I have," Nilly said in a hushed tone.

She felt her body relax at first, her already languid heartbeat slowing. Then her chest tightened as the pressure built, she held out her hand, a small smile on her face, and breathed in deeply. The tingling on her shoulder blades became more predominant.

Pushing the air back out of her lungs, Nilin felt the tingling travel to her hand as it began to radiate light. She brought up her other hand and cupped the light between them. Straining, Nilly looked up and smiled when she saw the entranced looks on Mags and Shellie's faces.

"Its like you're holding a star," Shellie mused.

Magnolia seemed lost for words.

"Pretty cool, right?" Nilly said, focusing back on her little light show. Suddenly, the chime above the door sounded. Nilin jumped, clapping her hands closed and snuffing the light. Three heads turned quickly to see who had walked through the door.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know if you were open or not," a tall guy said as he stood awkwardly in the door way. Nilin's heart started up, hitting painfully against her rib cage. For a moment the silhouette of the man shot ice through her veins. For a moment, she thought he was Christian.

Immediately, the lights snapped back on as Shellie came over and greeted him. "No, it's okay. We're open, just trying to fix the lights," she lied smoothly.

Nilin forced the air out of her nose slowly. It took a moment, but she finally thawed and was able to move as she calmed down. Relief washed across her body. It wasn't Christian, he was dead, Nilin reminded herself. This was just some guy a little older than her, probably around Mags's age.

Mags walked over, leaning back on the counter next to Nilly, who watched as the guy began to browse one of the shelves. He was fairly handsome.

Dark brown hair swept over his forehead. It curled a little at the end, which caused him to keep brushing it out of his eyes as he scanned the books. Even from afar Nilly could see the color they were; a light green. They reminded Nilly of mint ice cream. Her stomach growled at the thought. Nilin looked at Mags, who was next to her. She had noticed the boy too— and was now staring blatantly at him.

He slipped a book off the shelf, a slight smile coming to his lips. Then he started walking towards the counter. Nilin quickly slid off of it, jabbing Magnolia in the side with her elbow. Magnolia shook her head back and forth a little as she slid around the counter, becoming the perfect store owner.

Shellie came over to Nilly, a little peeved that Magnolia hadn't heard a word of whatever she was saying. She went to complain but Nilly hushed her as she watched the guy hand Mags the book. She smiled up at him sweetly, her amber eyes sparkling as she asked if he found everything he was looking for.

He ducked his head, smiling at her too. "Yeah, I was just picking something up for my sister," he explained.

She rang him up, pressing buttons on the cash register. Magnolia made some comment about how sweet that was before she looked up handing him the book. She scrunched her eyes a little. "Don't I know you from somewhere? You look familiar," she said.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I work down at the music shop. I've seen you in there before," he answered, still smiling. "I'm Rider," he introduced, holding out his hand.

"Magnolia," she said, shaking his hand. Both had this gooey look on they're faces.

Even Nilly couldn't help but smirk a little. When Magnolia pointed out the logo on his shirt, the two started talking about some band. He seemed pleasantly surprised that Mags was a fan of the group's music. Nilly quickly grabbed Shellie's arm and pulled her up the stairs to the second floor.

"What are you doing?" Shellie asked once Nilly let go of her.

Nilly's smile grew wider as she flopped down on the couch. "Letting them get to know one another," she smirked, already trying to hone in with her hearing to get a listen.

* * *

"It's just so frustrating," Nilin grumbled as she walked into the boarding house. Damon was right behind her, closing the front door. "I mean, why can't Caroline just get over whatever she has against me? I don't even know what I did to the girl," Nilin snapped as she threw her things on one of the leather couches in the living room. She had been bottling this us all day and he was who she decided to take it out on.

"Control your breathing," Damon warned a few feet away from her, standing in the arch way.

Nilly took in a few deep breaths before she continued, flopping down on the couch. "And Elena," she groaned. "Shouldn't she be on my side? You would think that, but nope. She just skipped away with Caroline." Nilin felt a pressure in her chest build.

She heard Damon sigh as he took the two steps into the room. He walked over and sat down next to her. Nilin took this as an invitation to crawl on to his lap. She tucked her self under his chin, her cold toes pressing into the space between his thigh and the cushion.

"You wouldn't guess who my history teacher is, either." Nilly continued to whine. "Alaric Saltzman. On top of everything else, I have Alaric Saltzman grading my papers."

"Well, if he gives you a bad grade I can just flash a fang," Damon told her. She knew by the tone of his voice that he was smirking at whatever scenario was playing in his head.

"He'd just whip a stake out," she sighed, leaning back a little to look at him.

"I'd like to see him try," he challenged. Nilin just rolled her eyes, laying her head back on his shoulder. "So," Damon continued. "Anything new happen today?"

Nilly sighed, knowing what he was referring to. He was asking about her nifty little angel powers that liked to pop up at terrible times.

Damon asked this question everyday. It had become almost routine. Since she woke up— with memory scattered, dazed and confused— they've been trying to get a handle of her powers, but first they had to figure out what they were exactly.

This was all one big guessing game. There was a shockingly miniscule amount of knowledge that they could fine about light beings or the Otherside for that matter. Apparently, most of them stayed on over there, unlike Nilin. That meant they were pretty much going into this blind and learning as they went along.

It also didn't help that Nilin was missing a month of her memory either. The entire month of August was just gone. Poof. Her memory started slipping the moment she came back to this side. The one thing she clearly remembered was waking up in the boarding house after it all happened. It was one memory that stuck with her, clearly.

The first memory she had of this life was suddenly shooting up on a bed and screaming her lungs out. The lights had snapped on immediately as another scream ripped through her lips. She had been clutching the sheets to her heaving chest when Damon had appeared in front of her.

His eyes were completely unsettling, from what she could recall. They had been sunken in with purple half moons bruised underneath them. He had looked at her with panicked features, his hands framing her face as he looked over her for whatever was causing Nilin to let out such bloodcurdling screams.

"Damon?" she was crying his name. "Damon, where am I? What happened?"

Everything had felt off to her, as if the body she was in wasn't really hers. Her movements had felt sluggish and slow. And there was a chill in her bones that left her hallow even though her skin was searing hot.

He sat on the edge of the bed that Nilin was lying in. Nilin remembered she had calmed down enough to realize it was his room she was in and not the one she had taken up residency in. She felt suffocated, as if she had been screaming into a pillow.

Nilin didn't have a word to describe it all at the time, the closest one she could think of was disconnected. Everything about her had felt disconnected.

She had been desperately trying to piece together what was going on. Her entire body seemed to be hot and trembling, there was an almost unbearable pressure in her chest and she didn't know what to do.

The first thing she could remember Damon saying to her was, "We brought you to the boarding house for Bonnie to look you over. You fell asleep on the couch downstairs so I carried you up here. You started screaming just as I was about to leave," he explained, wiping the hair off of her sweaty forehead.

"I don't understand, you brought me to the boarding house?" she had asked, confused and trying to clam herself down. "I haven't left the boarding house in days."

She could remember this reaction clearly. Damon had leaned back a little as she watched the perplexity that swept across his expression.

"Nilin," he asked her slowly. "Do you know what day it is?"

It had sounded like such a random question. Nilin didn't understand why he would be asking the date. She had answered him anyway though, "It's August fifteenth, isn't it?"

Damon had grown silent, the look on his face made Nilin start to worry. There was something wrong, very, very wrong. It was the first time she had ever seen Damon look so defeated, as if his century of years were catching up to him. She had felt his hands lift off her cheeks and grab her clammy, shaking hands. "August fifteenth was four days ago," he finally told her.

"What?" she had laughed at him, as if he had been joking with her. "No, no that can't be." She put a shaking hand to her forehead and started to hyperventilate again.

Damon had to squeeze her hands to force her to focus on him again. "What is the last thing you remember, Nilin?" he had asked her. His voice was soft but urgent as if he didn't want to alarm her.

"I was waiting for you to come back," she said slowly. "You had gone out with Stefan and the others to look for Christian. I must have fallen asleep while you were gone." Nilin must have looked to him as if she was a child looking for the right answer. "I must have been dreaming…"

"What was your dream about?" Damon asked her in that same tone. A hand came up to wipe her stinging tears away. Nilin found herself short of breath by the look on his face. It must have been the dim lighting, or her own watering eyes that made it look at if Damon's were swimming. Still to this day, she didn't know.

"It…" her voice trailed off as she tried to recall it. "It was just another nightmare, except this time…"

"This time what?"

She could remember the startling realization that had slammed into her chest so hard it forced a gasp of air to fly out of her lungs. "Except this time I died." Damon had dropped his eyes from hers as he buried his head in his hands. "No," she breathed out. "No, no, no," she started to shake her head back and forth frantically. "That was all real. I died?" she cried, looking to him again.

Damon had just wrapped his arms around her. Nilin clutch his arm as she nuzzled herself into the crook of his neck. She remembered being silent; there was no more screaming, she didn't cry, she didn't sob. He didn't say anything. Just silence followed.

"Am I a vampire?" she had asked after a while. When Damon pulled away from her to get a better look at her, Nilin's body had reacted at if she couldn't breathe. She just tightened her grip on him.

"You don't remember?" he asked.

From that point he filled her in on the events that had unfolded. She didn't believe it at first. Nilin made him retell her several times over. Eventually she accepted it, but the only problem was that her memory grew worse. It went downhill from there, she lost days one by one. Things started slipping through the cracks until an entire month was gone.

It never happened from what she could remember from it. The only things she knew were the retelling of events from her friends and family. It was completely maddening. Nilin just hoped that this was a slowly but surely kind of thing and one day she could actually remember all of it.

Nilin figured out she could do that thing with her hands a few weeks ago, when she got mad at something on the TV. She wound up sitting on her hands until Jenna left the room so she could dash up to her room with glowing digits. Once she calmed down the light vanished, but it still freaked her out a little.

Just then Nilin realized Damon had been talking, explaining something to her, but Nilin hadn't caught a word of it. She was too lost in her little flashback. He must have noticed. "You didn't hear any of that," he said more of a statement than a question.

"Sorry," Nilin said with a lopsided smile on her face. Damon clearly refrained from saying something as he huffed out a breath.

She couldn't blame him, Nilin hadn't been the easiest to deal with these past weeks. She rarely talked to anyone outside her circle and when she did her thoughts would drift. Sleep was impossible sometimes. More and more she found herself staring off into space, lost in thought. Most people would throw their hands up and call it quits after dealing with her for a day, but not Damon.

"It's okay," he said, pulling her out of her thoughts once again. He shifted her to his side, sitting her on the couch as he stood. "What am I going to do with you?" he asked running his pointer finger down the bridge of her nose.

Nilin laughed a little, scrunching up her nose. For a moment, Nilin's life felt less fuzzy. As if with that one simple motion, Damon was able to place her feet back on the ground. Nilly dropped her feet off the couch and stood. "I should go," she sighed, stretching her aching back out a little. Her shoulder blades were always bothering her nowadays.

She went to grab her stuff, but Damon's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. He spun her back to him, coming chest to chest with each other. "Not just yet," he smiled. "You just got here."

Laughing, Nilin pressed her hands to his chest. "It's a school night, Damon," he reminded her. "I actually have to apply myself this year."

"But I missed you," he pouted. He ran his one hand down her arm, unclasping her fingers from around her bag and causing it to drop to the floor.

"Mmm," she grinned. "Not gonna work this time," she smiled, slipping out of his hold. She swooped down and picked her bag back up. "Besides, how are you even—" when she stood up straight, she realized Damon had disappeared.

Nilin externally groaned, hoping he could hear her. The lights snapped off and she heard his laughter echoing around her. This was Damon's favorite game to play. It had been his way to get her out of bed the past few weeks. It was entertaining, when she was in the mood that is.

It was their own twisted version of Hide and Seek— Man Hunt on the most literal level.

"What are you five?" she called, placing her things back on the couch. "Seriously, I have to get home."

"Catch me first," his breath tickled the back of her neck. She spun around to find an empty room.  
"Fine, pain in my ass," she grumbled. There were a few little tips one picked up when they're around vampires enough. Tip number one, you always lose no matter what game you play.

She went up to the second floor, excepting him to be in his room. It was an obvious Damon Salvatore move, lure her to his bed. But that was empty. Backing out slowly, there was the cool prick of air that made the hair on the back of her neck stick up. Turning just in time, Nilin saw something coming at her. He knocked her on her ass as he went by.

She cursed at him, hopping up again. "Asshole," she yelled. His laughter came from downstairs. The steps she took by two, skidding to a halt at the bottom of them. The front door was wide open. A grin popped up on Nilin's lips, as she went through it.

"Alright, Damon. Come out and play," she called, going through the door and out to the driveway. The setting sun and gentle breeze made shadows dance around the Salvatore property as she walked around it.

He was leaving her little hints, testing to see if she could pick up on them. They led to the backyard, a few meters into the trees. Nilin stopped and hushed her breathing. The slow heart in her chest slugged along though, as she tried to listen over it.

Tip number two when dealing with vampires, they only make noise when they want to. So when Nilin heard the slight intake of breath behind her, she jolted her body to make it seem like she was spinning towards it. She stopped her movement short, looking in front of her again where Damon had appeared.

"Good one," he smirked, folding his hands behind his back. "I thought I had you on that. I'm rubbing off on you, angel."

Nilin just laughed. "And I, you." She shot towards him, attempting to grab a hold of his shirt but her fingers never made contact. Damon enclosed his hand around her wrist, spinning her around. He wrapped his arm around her, pressing her back to his chest. He rested his chin on Nilin's shoulder, a low rumble emanated from the back of his throat.

"Got you," he said, obviously thinking he won. Nilin laughed. Then in one movement she rammed the heel of her sneaker into his foot while her elbow jammed itself right below his ribs. It was enough to force the air out of him and to loosen his grip on her. She managed to slip out of his grasp, turning to face him once more but he was gone.

Nilin spun around, her hair whipping back and forth. He had vanished, causing a clawing feeling in her stomach. She calmed herself by shutting her eyes. She stood completely still, the only thing straining was her mind as she sought out the vampire. She struggled trying to grasp enough control to flex her powers, but she managed it.

Everything she heard sharpened, she felt the slightest change in the wind and temperature. The world around her came alive and that's when she sensed it. Her eyes sprang open as she turned quickly on her heels, just in time to see Damon smirking behind her. A gasp left her lips as in one movement she was knocked back on the ground, landing with an 'ooof'.

Suddenly, someone was over her. Their hands braced on either side of her head. Nilly couldn't see his face, the glare of the sun blinded her. She knew it was Damon, but something was off. "Give up yet?" he asked, smirking down at her. He chuckled over Nilin.

Nilin's chest started rising and falling quickly as she looked at the vampire above her. Silver eyes started down at her instead of the midnight ones she expected. Her eyes widen in fear and her hands quickly began pushing on his chest to get him off her. He started saying her name over and over again, the sound rolling off his sharp tongue.

"No, no, no." Her breathing became ragged, tears springing to her eyes. Pressure began to grow in her chest. Christian tried to grab her hands, to stop her from clawing at him. She struggled to get out from under him. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him as he repeated her name again. Images started to fly back to her, ones of him on top of her ran through her mind.

Nilin finally released the pressure building in her chest along with a scream. "Get off me!" A blast shot from her hands that were pressed against his chest. It sent him flying backwards, as she yelled out. Pure energy forced the vampire off her and straight into a tree, causing a loud cracking sound to emanate through the woods.  
She scrambled up, standing on her feet shakily. Her chest heaved as she held her hands out in front of her, they resonated light pointed straight at him. "Don't you ever touch me again, Chris—" Nilin's threat was cut short when she saw the man on the ground, the one she had blasted. "D-Damon?" she whimpered, as the vampire struggled to sit up. "Oh my god." She ran over to him, sinking to her knees.

"What the hell was that?" he groaned, rubbing his head.

"I-I don't know. I'm so sorry," she cried. Her hands hovered over him, unsure of what to do. He groaned in pain again, and Nilin saw the scorch marks on his chest where her hands had been. His shirt was burned through, the skin underneath red and blistering.

She let out a sob when she saw what she had done. She wanted to run. The urge to get away as fast as she could was ripping at her. Nilin couldn't move properly though. She tried to back away, only managing to stumble a few yard away before her legs gave out.

She doubled over on to the damp forest floor, curled up into a ball, clutching her stomach as she sobbed. Tears dripped off her cheeks and on to the moss covered earth. Then careful hands were lifting her up and clutching her. Damon held her to his chest, trying to hush her tears.

"It was him. I thought you were him. I swear he was on me again. I could feel his hands," she cried.

Damon held her closer, kissing the side of her head. "It's okay, Nilin. He's dead, you're safe," he reminded her over again. His thumbs brushed the tears off her face as she looked up at him. Her head shook back and forth.

"No, it's not. I hurt you. I left those burns just using my hands!" she cried.

"Look, they're healed. Nothing's there, see?" he said, showing her his unmarked chest. "It was an accident."

"But what if it was Elena, what if I lost control around someone else?" she asked, griping for answers. Damon placed his hands on the sides of her cheeks, cradling her face. She looked so fragile in that moment as his eyes searched hers. She had dirt smudged on her cheek, her ponytail had come undone, her hair to cascading around her, and her speckled eyes rimmed with tears.

"You will not lose control, I won't let you. We'll work on this, you'll get better," he promised her. "Okay?"

She nodded her head, more tears spilling over on to her cheeks. He wiped them away quickly. "I'm scared," she admitted, before burying her face into the crook of his neck.

The only thing Damon was able to do was hold her closer as she cried.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Chapter Two up! Sorry about the wait, I'm going to try and pump more out as fast as I can. I hope you guys like the first two, thank you all again and see you lovelies soon.**  
**_**RLS**_

**Get the Look: ****go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_two_magnolia/set?id=128179855

Rider's Outfit: /chapter_two_rider/set?id=128180053

**Get the Song:**

Better Version By Shinedown

Youtube DOT com /watch?v=_Da9abOjYyA


	3. Nobody Knows

**Chapter Three: Nobody Knows**

_Tell me why I gave up the believing  
__That lying is the only way for me  
__I gave up a lot of dreaming  
__It took some time but now I finally see  
__The lights are on but no one's home  
__Am I the only one who feels alone?_

_~Celeste Buckingham_

It had been two weeks since Nilin's little breakdown, which resulted in Damon being hurled into a tree. Under any other circumstances, the incident would have been hilarious. But, really, it was more of an eye opener. They had been going through the weeks without much problem. Nilly's transition had gone smooth, things were good, they were all happy for the most part. Everybody had been living in a state of aware ignorance.

After what happened, they're vacation on cloud nine was over. They came to the realization that they were dealing with something that just might be a little over their heads. Nilin was thrown back into the world of caution, similar to the one she woke up in.

Tip toeing around her, double glances to make sure she was okay, and the constant hugging, everybody hugged her. Nilin didn't enjoy it. So she kept her mind off of it and herself busy. She rarely had time to sit down for more than a moment, and that's how she liked it.

Her day started from the moment she opened her eyes. Wake up, get ready for school, play the part of the cheery niece and cousin and hopefully not be late for Psychology. Then she had classes until three o'clock, after which she'd usually stop by the bookstore where they'd continued their research and whatever homework Nilin could fit in.

From there she ended up back at the boarding house, though Damon no longer played that game with her. He told her that she should focus on her studies— that they'd pick up once she was on break again. Of course Nilin didn't believe that was the true reasoning, but she didn't say anything. She didn't want to have a repeat of events anymore than he did.

But that also meant that Damon kept her entertained in other ways. And not like that, ew, jeeze… okay, maybe a little like that. But usually he'd help her with her school work, take her hiking, rent a movie, anything that was normal and simple. Nilin didn't know how, but Damon was spot on again with what she needed. He knew exactly how to handle her.

This kept up until Nilly would fall into her bed exhausted, both mentally and physically drained. She was lucky when she got a few hours of sleep in before she got up and did it all again.

Some days she thought this constant movement and pull on her attention was a good thing. It kept her mind off things she didn't want to think of. It left her far too tired to put off sleep and it gave her days a goal to accomplish. Other days she feared that the continuous buzz of busyness would soon turn her numb, her own daily does of Novocain. Still she got up each day of the week and went on with her life.

Finally, it was Friday. This Friday, only being half a day, she was done with her classes by noon. Like most days Nilly caught up with Shellie, getting a ride to the bookstore. When they got there they found Mags munching on a sandwich. "Uh, don't eat too much. You'll ruin your appetite for your date later," Nilin said, snatching a chip.

Magnolia rolled her eyes at the pesky brunette. "We're going for coffee," she explained with a mouthful. Nilin shrugged, leaning her elbow on the counter. She tried to grab the pickle from Mags's plate but Magnolia smacked her hand away. "Get your own."

Nilin mumbled something incoherent, as Shellie pranced over with an old looking book in her hands. "Will you two knock it off?" she complained. "Oh and Mags, make sure you bring mints. Coffee breath, nah-uh, not attractive."

"Thanks for the tip, Shells. I'll keep that in mind," Magnolia said, taking another bite. "What's with the book?" she asked.

Shellie seemed to remember that she was holding the dusty thing. "Oh, I just found it in the back of the store. I thought I'd look through it, see if there's anything useful in it," she explained. "Who knows?"

"You don't have to read that entire thing, Shellie." Nilly said, taking the book from her. "We've been researching for almost a month now. If we haven't found anything yet, I doubt we're ever going to." Since the incident with Damon, the two of them had been going mad with getting answers. Nilin had an overall sense of guilt sinking deep into her. She didn't need answers when they interfered with her loved one's lives.

"But what if we do and it's beneficial." Shellie asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"And if you don't?" Nilly asked. "You would just be wasting all this time."

"It's not wasted time if we're trying to help you, Nilly. Anything is useful if it makes this whole thing easier." Magnolia said, coming around the counter. She looked at Nilin questionably. "What's with the sudden lack of interest?"

"I feel like we're going around like chickens with their heads cut off," Nilly shrugged. "We've tried to get my memory back and nothing has worked, which gives us nothing to work with. Either way we go about this, it's pointless."

"This is not pointless, and you're not alone, Nilly. You've got us," Shellie said, smiling sweetly as she placed a hand on Nilin's shoulder.

Nilin took a step to the side, making Shellie's hand fall. "Do you really want to be tailing me around for the rest of your lives?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Magnolia and Shellie looked at her, a slight frown on their faces. "You make it sound like a burden, or something," Shellie said.

"Well, it sort of is, isn't it? I mean, what kind of livelihood is that? Why wouldn't you want to be with your family instead?" Nilly said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. The room seemed to grow silent. That's when Nilin realized something. "You don't talk about you're past a lot, do you?"

"It's not particularly an enjoyable one," Mags shrugged, taking a seat behind the counter.

"You know my history book isn't much better," Nilly said, a sad smirk on her lips. "You don't have to say anything," she continued. "I understand, I was just making an observation."

"No, you're right." Shellie said, coming over to take a seat next to Mags on another stool behind the counter. "We know most of your past, you should know ours. It's only fair." Mags seemed a little hesitant before she nodded her head in agreement.

"Might as well get it all out now," Mags said. She got up from the stool heading towards the stairs and up to the second floor.

Nilin followed, when she got up there she saw Mags with what looked like a photo album in her hands. She flipped to the page she was looking for as she sat down on one of the couches.

Then she held the book out towards Nilly, pointing at a picture. Nilin took it and sat down on the other couch. She looked at the picture. It was a young Magnolia and Shellie, smiling with their arms around each other. They looked so different. The Magnolia in the picture had long hair that fluffed up with frizz and had framed glasses perched on her nose. Shellie wore her hair in two long braids that were tied off with pink hair ties and butterfly burettes. Her big grin was filled with brackets and wires.

On Shellie's lap was a little girl with the same brown hair and hazel eyes as Shellie. The little girl looked around four in the picture. Magnolia had her other arm around a dark haired boy with a cheesy smile.

"Her name's Marie, she's about fourteen now, and that's Robert. He'll be sixteen next summer." Mags said with a smile. "He's my brother and Marie is Shellie's little sister. They live with Shellie's mom back in New York," she explained.

"We haven't seen them in a while, not since we left." Shellie said, coming over to sit next to Magnolia.

"Why'd you leave them?" Nilin asked, her eyes still casted down at the smiling children. The four of them looked so happy and young.

"It's what we had to do." Magnolia said solemnly. "Being a Servitor is not only dangerous for you but for your family. It was a matter of time before we lost someone else."

"What do you mean?" Nilly asked, closing the photo album and looking up at Magnolia. "Who'd you lose?" she questioned.

"Servitors are coveted for their gifts. It's like we're collectables and when a Servitor isn't easy to collect, well, they're disposed of." Shellie explained. "I got my powers from my father, he was like us. He was taken away when I was five. I haven't seen him since."

"My mother was a Servitor, like her brother, Shellie's father." Magnolia said. "She and my dad died when I was ten and my brother was four. Hunters came for my mom after they saw her using her gift. My dad tried to protect her, they just killed him. When she refused to go with them, the hunters killed her too. Our grandmother raised us till I was old enough to take care of Robert myself."

"We came to Mystic Falls two years ago, leaving Magnolia's brother with my mom and sister. We took over this book store." Shellie added.

"We slept up here on these couches for a year," Magnolia said with a little laugh, looking at Shellie. "Basically living out of here until we had enough money to rent the place we live in now."

"But why move here?" Nilin asked, her cheeks were slightly damp with tears. She wiped the wetness away with the back of her hand. Why was she crying? She didn't understand why this upset her so much. The story of her friends caused her to feel her own phantom pain.

"Other than the fact that Shellie saw this exact moment almost three years ago, it was a new start." Magnolia said with a smile on her face.

"Wait," Nilin stuttered. "You saw this, right now. With me?"

"Yup," Shellie nodded. "Though, it never made sense till now. We didn't have anywhere to go, either. We saw ourselves here and it was our only plan, so we went for it."

"And look where it's gotten you," Nilly smiled slightly.

"It got us somewhere good. We left one family to find another one." Magnolia said with her eyes lit up. "We wouldn't change anything."

"Why didn't you guys tell me any of this?" Nilin said, sitting up from the couch. "We could have bonded over terrible childhoods and dead parents."

Magnolia laughed, rolling her eyes. "If that's your way of making friends it explains why you have so little."

Shellie smacked Mags. "Be nice," she hissed. Magnolia just pulled her hair, causing Shellie to yelp. Lee-Roy appeared from behind the couch, barking at them. Nilin was laughing so hard it hurt.

"Hello? Magnolia?" Rider called from the first floor. The three girls shot up from the cushions and they cut their laughter short.

"Be right there," Mags called back before she turned to Nilly and Shellie. "You two will stay up here until we leave, got it?" she ordered, wagging her finger at them.

Shellie and Nilin rolled their eyes, giving an unenthusiastic, "Fine."

"Good," Mags said. She fixed her clothes, scrunched her hair a bit and took a deep breath before scurrying down the stairs. That left Nilly and Shellie grumbling as they flopped back down on the couch.

They heard them talking for a little and then the chime of the door as they left. Shellie had gotten up and walked over to the window that over looked the sidewalk. "Awe, he brought her flowers," she blubbered. "That's so sweet."

Nilin made a mental note to tell Jeremy that flowers were the way to Shellie's heart. "I hope she has a good time on her date, Mags was so nervous," Nilin said as Shellie came back over and took a seat.

"I know, she spent an hour trying to figure out what to wear. I've known her my whole life and never have I seen her so concerned over what shirt matched with what pants." Shellie laughed. "She'll be fine though, Rider is a sweetheart."  
"It's about time Magnolia's getting some," Nilin grinned.

"Yeah," she chuckled but then stopped, realizing what Nilly had just said. "Ew, oh god, gross she's my cousin, I don't want to think of that."

Nilin just shrugged, laughing at her reaction. "So," she sighed after a while. "Any other tricks you've come up with for jogging my memory?"  
Shellie looked up at her from behind the magazine she was peeling through. "Nothing that doesn't involve spirit magic. You know how I don't like that stuff," she said, wrinkling her nose.

Spirit magic was what Shellie and Mags considered Bonnie's abilities to be. From what Nilin understood, it's just a different brand of the same product. Or like real sugar vs. Splenda, everyone had a preferred sweetener. Different taste, same effect.

Nilin sighed. "It's just so frustrating. All I know is what everyone else has told me, and that's only three hours of the three days I was gone."

"Well, what is the last thing you remember?" Shellie asked, sitting up. She crossed her legs in front of her, which was always a sign that the girl meant business.

"Um," Nilly took a deep breath trying to recall anything. "I don't know, it's like the memory is right there and all I have to do is reach out and grab it but I can't."

"Okay, let's rewind then," Shellie started. "Do you remember your dad's funeral?" she asked. Nilin nodded her head. "Do you remember going to your house back in Lee County?"

Nilin nodded her head again. "Yeah, that's where I got this," she said, showing Shellie her pendant necklace. "That's also where Christian showed up."

"Right, and what about the party at the Lockwoods, when he attacked you? Can you remember that?" she asked.

"Barely," Nilin sighed. "After that things get hazy. I know I spent time at the boarding house, but I don't know how much. Then there's something about a graveyard or a road or something—" her voice cut short suddenly as a pain tore through her skull. It felt as if her forehead had cracked in half.

Nilin grabbed her head, folding over on the couch. An image started to play out behind her eyes. She was seeing herself standing in a room at the boarding house, it was her room, the one she stayed in. She was crying for some reason, tears silently dripping off her chin.

She watched herself bend down and pull something out from under the bed. It was a red makeup bag, Nilin recognized it. Then she was placing it on the bed and opening it. She pulled something out, it looked liked one of Alaric's vervain darts.

Suddenly Nilly's eyes shot open as she sat up quickly, nearly slamming heads with Shellie. Shellie was kneeling in front of her, trying to get Nilin to say something. "What happened?" she asked. "Nilin, look at me. What was that?"

"Oh my god, Shellie what did I do?" Nilin asked, her voice shaking. "That's one thing no one has yet to tell me, Shellie," she said, shaking the other girl's shoulders. "How'd I end up with Christian?"

"You don't remember," Shellie said quietly, the look on her face somber. She didn't say anything for a moment, but her eyes did start to water.

"Shellie, I need you to tell me," Nilin pleaded. "What did I do?"

She had to take a shuddered breath before she answered Nilly. "You and Damon were at the boarding house alone, you had been staying there for a week or two by then. He came downstairs to find you staring out a window. Damon said you started going on about something, you got really upset over it. So he tried to calm you down…" she trialed off.

"Then what?" Nilly pushed. "Then what, Shellie?"

"He was holding you, when… when you jammed a vervain dart in his back." Shellie revealed. "Damon was down in seconds, and you walked out of the boarding out. That was the last time anyone saw you till the meadow."

Nilin was shaking. She couldn't remember any of this, but it felt true. It felt like a forgotten dream. She had done that to him, she had stabbed Damon and he's never said anything. He's never mentioned this at all. "I can't believe it," she mumbled.

"We think you got the dart from Alaric, stole it from his stash at some point," Shellie explained.

Nilin nodded, "Yeah, I remember that. It was the night Christian attacked me at the Lockwoods. I took one from a bag Alaric had and hid it."

"Hey, listen," Shellie said, turning Nilin's head to look at her. "You did what you had to do, no one blames you. Damon's not mad at you for that."

"How can he not be?" Nilin asked. "That was such a horrible thing for me to do, why would I do that?" she cried.

"You don't remember anything building up to that morning, you won't understand till you do," Shellie explained.

"How do I get my memory back? How'd I just remember that?" she wondered.

Shellie shrugged. "I don't know, maybe nobody does. This could just be your minds way of protecting itself."

"I don't want protection," Nilin said. "I want to know."

"And maybe that's why you did what you did," Shellie said, looking at her closely.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

I thought it was about time to get some back story on my other OC's. Plus a few people had requested it. Shellie and Mags have become bigger characters than I originally planned, so they needed a little more depth. Also, bringing back that important event that happened in the first story. Tell me what you guys think! I wanna hear from you, three chapters in already. Thank you all for reading and spreading my story around. I recently found out that I even got a shout out on Twitter, which is pretty freakin' awesome. So thank you again!  
I'll see you all soon. Don't forget to _**Favorite, Follow & (especially) Review!**_

RLS

**Get the Look: ********go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin, Shellie & Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_three_nilin_shellie_magnolia/set?id=129078266

**Get the Song:**

Nobody Knows by Celeste Buckingham

Youtube DOT com /watch?v=0lLH8WHwkLg


	4. Tired

**Chapter Four: Tired**

_I just wanna watch the whole world burn  
__Lost a million times and I won't learn  
__Show me someone innocent  
__I'll show you there's no proof  
__I may be gone but I'm no fool  
__I'm not close, I'm not safe  
__I don't know, don't know am I better off in chains  
__The one is not aware, so stay away from me  
__I'm just too young to care_

_~Stone Sour_

Once Nilly was able to leave the book store she decided to go home for a little. The car ride was silent. She didn't even bother to flick her stereo on. It wasn't as if she was deep in thought or anything. She couldn't think. Her brain was foggy. It left in a daze as she drove. Without paying much attention, she had pulled in to her driveway. Her silent walk up to the house was interrupted when her cell phone started to go off. Nilin pulled it out of her back pocket, answering it. "Hello?" she said, holding it to her ear.

"Peaches," Mildred's voice chimed on the other line. "How are you doing, sweetie?" she asked with her southern drawl.

"Still checking up on me, huh Mil?" Nilin laughed a little, fumbling to find her house keys. The sun warmed her skin as much as it could in the September weather as Nilly made her way to the porch. She loved the feeling of the sun nowadays.

"Oh, of course I am. I've been keeping my eye on you since you were a tot, why would I stop now?" she teased.

"Because I'm a big bad angel now, that's why," Nilin joked. She heard Mildred start to chuckle. Of course Mildred knew what had happened to Nilin that day in August. She was the first person they called when Nilly came back.

Mildred had seen it coming, apparently she had a supernatural heads up. But the spirits didn't show her until it was too late, there was nothing Mil could do. A frantic phone call to a very confused Jenna couldn't save Nilin's life.

So now she called Nilin every week to check in on her. The weekly routine was oddly comforting to her. It was nice to know Mildred was still there for her.

"Don't you go all higher power on me, I will drive up there and show you what a real higher power looks like, young lady," Mil told her.

Nilin couldn't help her laugher. It made the weight sitting on her chest feel lighter. "I miss you Mildred," she sighed once the laughter subsided. "I'm good though, really."

"You better not be lying to me," Mildred warned.

"I swear I'm okay, just a few bumps in the road. We expected some, right?" Nilin told her, she knew there was no getting past a witch like Mildred.

"Just keep safe, will you? We almost lost you once, many don't get a second let alone a third chance," she warned.

"I know, I will. Trust me, no craziness for a long, long time," Nilly said, finally fishing out her keys at the bottom of her bag.

"I'm serious Nilin, play it safe from here on out." Mildred mothered her.

"I will, I will," she mumbled back, unlocking the front door.

There was a slight pause from Mil before she continued. "Now before I go, I have one question; did you get the medical report I sent you?" she asked softly.

Nilin stopped halfway into the house, ice sliding down her back. "Yeah, I got it a week ago," she answered in a rough voice. A clear picture of the clinical nine by twelve manila envelope popped into her head. It was currently shoved under bed.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Mil wondered, pulling Nilin's attention back on the conversation.

She swallowed hard before answering. That anxious creature was scratching at her throat again. "I think I did," she said. "I need to look into it, but I'm pretty sure I'm right about my dad's death."

"Have you talked to anyone about it?" Mildred asked.

"No, I haven't."

"That's all I wanted to know. You should open up to someone when you're ready, of course. It might help with the memory jogging, Peaches," she advised Nilly.

"I will, Mil," Nilin said, beginning to warm up again. She coughed, clearing her throat. "I love you, and thank you, again, for everything."

"I love you too, darling. Talk to you next week," Mildred said.

"Bye," Nilly laughed a little before hanging up. She slipped her phone back in her pocket and shut the front door with her one hand as the other hand massaged the back of her neck. It was starting to get a dull pain right at the base of her skull. This was a weird new occurrence that had been happening. Nilly wasn't sure if she should bring any attention to it yet or not.

She thought she'd find Elena and Jeremy somewhere about the house, like usual, but the house was quiet. She locked the door behind her and dropped her bag next to the stairs, giving up on rubbing her neck. "Hello?" she called as she kicked off her shoes.

"In here," Elena's voice came from the kitchen.

Nilly followed the sound and leaned on the door frame, looking into the kitchen. "What the…?" she questioned when she discovered that the room was littered with cardboard boxes and stacks of papers. Elena sat in the middle of it on her laptop, next to her was Stefan who filing through one of the boxes. "What's going on in here?" Nilly crossed her arms over her chest.

Elena looked up from the screen, her brown hair tucked neatly behind her ears. "We're looking through a few things," she said vaguely as she scratched at her nose.

"For what?" Nilin asked, coming into the kitchen and sitting down on one of the stools. She plucked a piece of paper off the pile nearest to her. Her eyes scanned it quickly, it was in her Uncle Grayson's neat looped writing. Nilin realized that is was a patient log.

Before answering, Elena closed her laptop and pushed it off to the side. "Nil," she started slowly, snatching the paper from her and putting it back in its spot. "We've decided to look in to who our birth parents are."

Nilin cocked her head to the side, starting at her sister. "Who's this 'we' here?" she asked, placing her palms flat on the countertop.

"Well, I decided, Stefan agreed to help and I'm hoping you will help too," Elena said sitting up straighter.

Nilly let out a low groan, shaking her head slightly. "Elena, you know how I feel about this–"

"Yes, yes. I know, but come on Nil. Aren't you a tiny bit curious about any of it?" Elena questioned, standing up from her seat.

Her arms folded over each other as she leaned back to eye Elena. "No, I'm not." Nilin said bluntly.

"This is the perfect time to answer the questions you have though," Stefan spoke for the first time since Nilin had gotten there. "We're in calm weather. There's no threats, no issues, everything is normal now."

Nilly gritted her teeth. "I swear to God, Stefan, if you just jinxed us," she glared. Elena threw her hands up in the air, letting out a frustrated growl. "He's not_ jinxing_ us," she said. "He's trying to show you that this is time we do something."

Now Nilin was standing, her own hands flailing through the air. "And what exactly are you planning to do, Elena?" she asked. Her chest felt tight. "Track these people down— who, might I add, didn't want us in the first place— and expect everything to be okay?"

"No!" Elena shouted. "I want answers, so I'm going to get them."

"From who? _Isobel_?" Nilly shot back. "All we have is a name! A name of a woman who gave birth to us, whoever this Isobel person is, she's not our mothers, Elena. Why can't you see that?"

"Our moms aren't alive to tell us this! I'm taking it into my own hands," she insisted. It infuriated Nilin when she got like this. There was no changing Elena's mind.

"I've been telling you since we found out, I don't have a good feeling about this. What if you take this into your own hands and you can't handle it?" Nilin asked, pointing a finger at Elena.

"So this is actually you thinking I can't do this, that I can't 'handle' it." Elena said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What? No!" Nilly shouted back. "God, you've been hanging out with Caroline too much," she bit out. "What I'm saying is what if this turns out to be something none of us can handle? Then what?"

"How will we know if it's too much if we don't try?" Elena questioned. "I don't understand why you're so against this. What are you afraid of?"

Nilin just bit her tongue, shaking her head. She had to leave the room before this got uglier. As gracefully as she could manage, Nilly turned and walked out on Elena and Stefan. Walking straight to the front door, she grabbed her bag from the couch and slipped her shoes back on before barging out the house and to her car.

She was infuriated. The pressure in her chest was almost unbearable as she sped down the long winding road. She wasn't worried about her speed, she wasn't even paying attention to the rising arrow on the speedometer. It didn't matter anyway. She knew her reflexes had sharpened just enough that she'd be able to react to whatever was in front of her. At least that's what she was counting on. There hadn't been a situation yet to support or disprove this theory.

Her knuckles were in splitting grip. There was a hammering heart smashing into her ribs and shallow breaths that caused her lungs to burn. All caused from Elena and her overbearing need to make everything better. She always needed a mission, something to dump her hope into. It was irritating. There was no seeing Nilin's point when the two of them clashed. They just yelled at each other until one walked away. Exhibit A, the brawl in the kitchen that just occurred.

Nilly made a sudden sharp turn, the tires squealing slightly as she began down the long narrow driveway. She didn't even realize where she was driving to until she threw her car in park in front of the boarding house. Leaning her head back on the seat, she tried a few calming breaths, closing her eyes, and exhaling out of her nose just like Damon taught her, but nothing seemed to work.

There wasn't enough yoga in the world to clam Nilly down at this point. Her fist suddenly shot out and slammed into the dashboard. The impact made a loud hallow cracking sound. A lightening bolt ran through her hand and up her arm. Nilin curled her now throbbing knuckles to her chest as she hissed out another breath.

The burst of anger was enough to allow her to finally take her keys out of ignition and slide out of the car. She headed for the front door. Before her freshly bruised knuckles could even knock on the wood, the heavy door swung open.

"Took you long enough," the eldest Salvatore brother said, "I was waiting for you. What were you–" Damon cut short once he saw the look on her face. "What happened?"

Nilin just shook her head, her lips tightly pressed together in an effort to keep the emotions at bay. She wasn't going to take this out on him. He didn't need more of her problems on his shoulders. "I'm okay," she breathed out. He watched her for a moment and then shook his head, letting out a tired sigh. In seconds his arms encased her as she nuzzled into his chest, losing the fight.

He led her inside the house. The smell of citrus and old wood filled her nose. Nilin found herself on one of the long couches in the parlor. Damon came over and handed her a glass. She didn't even bother to look at the contents before she tipped her head back, downing the liquid.

"Wanna tell me what happened?" he asked her, once both of their glasses were empty. Nilin shook her head again, flexing her sore hand and looking down at the puffy knuckles. "Can I guess it has something to do with Elena?" he asked again.

"And Stefan," Nilly mumbled as she came to the conclusion that there was nothing broken, just bruised. Nilin lifted her eyes to stare forward at the dark fireplace. She imagined flames eating at the wooden logs in there, flickering and crackling.

Another sigh escaped Damon's mouth as he reclined back on the couch next to her. "What are they up to now?" he wondered.

Nilin huffed, rubbing her eyes before turning to him. "They're trying to find out about me and Elena's birthparents," she answered him. "But she won't listen to me!" Nilin shot up from where she was sitting and began pacing in front of the fireplace. "It's like she's trying to replace our parents and she can't do that. It's wrong, and I don't want to know anything about these people. Why won't she just listen to me? And Stefan just sits there nodding his head like a puppy waiting for a treat."

"Nilin…" Damon warned and Nilly looked down at her hands. They were glowing again, light pulsating from the center of her palm. She quickly clenched her hands closed, balling them into fist. "Calm down," his voice ordered.

She forced her fingers to uncurl, straightening them out in front of her. Her jaw, that was clenched painfully, slackened in the release of a deep breath. And just like that, her hands returned to normal.

As she felt the build up in her chest fade away, she turned to find that Damon was staring at her. He had a slight smile on his face as he nodded his head, telling Nilin she had done well. His mouth opened to say something, but was interrupted by the sound of a phone going off. Holding up his index finger at her, he stood. "They're probably looking for you," Damon sighed before leaving Nilin alone.

From the other room, she picked up on the sound of him answering the phone. She felt herself falling back on the couch, the old leather cushions cradling her fall. Nilin pulled her feet up to her chest, her toes curling over the edge of the couch.

Her heart was hurting. She had just screamed at her sister and Stefan over such a dumb thing. The defensiveness came from her mother, the stubbornness she got from her father. It was a lethal combination; one that Elena inherited as well. Two Gilberts fighting could be compared to a natural disaster. No one walked away unscathed.

Though this was still boiling Nilin's sluggish blood, something else was causing her pain. Her mind shot back to her conversation with Shellie. The memory had been playing on repeat in her head before Mildred called and before Nilin had walked in on the clusterfuck that Elena had created. Now it came slithering back, clearer than before.

Her legs fell to the floor, feet hitting the hardwood with a thud. They took her out of the parlor and down the hall to a closed door. Damon had kept this door closed for the past few weeks. Nilin wondered why, but now she understood. He had locked away the memory from her and himself. Using her shoulder, she pushed it open. The hinges creaked as the heavy door settled.

The room was dimmed by the curtains that sealed up the windows. It smelled mustier in here, as if this room was shut away for a while. The piano, that Damon usually kept open in attempts to persuade her to play, sat closed and pushed to the side. The usual white walls held a grey tint to them, though Nilin was pretty sure that was caused by her imagination.

Her lips trembled as she took slow steps into the room. The sound of her hammering heart filled her ears and clouded her head. This was where her memory had brought her. Her shaking hands reached out and pulled back the curtains from the window, bringing light into the room.

"Nilin?" she heard her name uttered softly behind her. She didn't turn around. She couldn't. She just pushed her fingers to her mouth, trying to stop them from quivering. The hairs on the back of her neck pricked up.

Damon was right behind her. He didn't touch her though. Nilin could picture the perplexed expression that had to be on his face as he tried to figure out what was going on. He had found her standing here, crying, staring out the window once before. She could only imagine what this might feel like for him.

"Nilin? What happened?" he asked her slowly.

Her shoulders where bobbing with silent sobs. "I'm so sorry," she let the words stumble out of her mouth. They hurt to hold in anymore. Behind her eyes the memory played again. It was as if she could feel herself holding up his deadweight as he struggled to grasp her against the vervain.

Finally she built up enough courage to face him. The three words fell out from between her lips again. "I don't remember why I did what I did, but it had to be a good reason, right?" she cried.

She witnessed the realization settled over Damon's face. "Nilin," he breathed. That was all she needed to allow herself to shoot forward and tuck her body against his. His hand traveled up and down her back as his other hand held the back of her head to his chest. He swore to her, "Its okay."

"I would never hurt you like that unless…"

He hushed her, tilting her head up to look at him. "You thought you were saving my life," he confirmed, squeezing the back of her neck slightly. "That's why you did it."

Nilin felt her heart flood with emotions. He had said exactly what she needed in order to understand this. Stabbing Damon with vervain could only be justified with her last futile attempt to spare him.

It had worked, she died instead.

"I know it's hard right now, and you still are missing a lot of time but realize this, I'm not mad at you anymore. I can't be. You did something very impulsive, something very—"

"Damon Salvatore?" Nilin wondered, looking up at him through her blurry vision.

He let out a breathy chuckle. "Exactly. And if the roles were reversed, I would have done the same exact thing, in a heartbeat."

"Why didn't you tell me though?" she asked him, laying her cheek back against his cotton shirt. "How could you not?"

"How could I?" he whispered back. "We've been trying to get you better, Nilin. And when you were smiling and laughing, the incident would completely slip my mind. I never had a reason to dwell on it."

She was quiet and he let her be. Damon just held her closer to him, twisting the ends of her hair around his fingers. They were both waiting for her heart to lap back to its languid thuds and for her hot eyes to dry.

Nilin let out a shaky breath as she pulled away from him slightly. He cupped her one cheek with his hand, looking down at her. She knew he was watching her every aspect in attempts to figure out what was going on in her head.

Instead of letting him draw his own conclusions, she told him. "This is where I first told you I loved you, right?" she asked, needing clarification because the memory was still blurry.

A smile appeared on his lips. It was a small movement, but it spoke loads. That was the first time he'd heard her say that in a while. Nilin had forgotten about the moment she admitted her feelings to him. It had been rushed and panicked, choked out with the tears that had been squeezing her throat.

Damon spoke in a tender voice. "From what I can recall, yes."

Even though she only recently remembered the first time she spoke those three words, Nilly knew that she loved him. From the moment she woke up to this new life, she knew. It was only a matter of getting over her fears and saying it out loud again.

Nilin pushed herself up on to the tips of her toes and pressed her lips to his cheek. "Just in case you weren't sure, that still holds true," she said against his skin. "I love you, Damon Salvatore."

She felt his body relax against hers. It was as if this was something he was waiting for. Before she could return to flat feet, Damon's fingers were grasping her soft cheeks. His lips captured her in a searing kiss that lasted for a moment.

He released her, allowing Nilin to take a step back. The look in his eyes caused the air to rush out of her lungs. Before Nilly could stutter a response, Damon smiled and said, "Come on, I want to take you somewhere."

She breathed out through her mouth as he headed for the door. Damon stopped in the door and out his hand towards her. Nilin nodded, her voice still caught in her throat, and took his hand in hers.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Ayyyye, chapter four up and ready to go for you guys. These first few chapter have really been focused on how everyone's been handling what happened at the end of the last story, Nilin especially. I hope you've enjoyed it though. I have a lot more to come.  
You guys have been quite lately. I wanna hear you guys' thoughts about everything so far, even if its just a thumbs up or thumbs down. Let me know! I'm so curious about your opinions, don't be shy. 

_**Favorite, Follow & Review **_  
RLS

**Get the Look: ********go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Elena's Outfit: /chapter_four_elena/set?id=129429554

**Get the Song:**

Tired by Stone Sour

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=EXBDDayGCns


	5. On Top of the World

**Chapter Five: On Top of the World**

_If you love somebody better tell them while they're here  
'Cause they just may run away from you  
You'll never know quite when, well  
Then again it just depends on  
How long of time is left for you  
And I know it's hard when you're falling down  
And it's a long way up when you hit the ground  
Get up now, get up, get up now.  
'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay_

_~Imagine Dragons_

They had been driving for a little now. The car ride was quiet as they buzzed down the road in Damon's convertible. The top was down, causing Nilly's hair to fly behind her as the warm early September sun beat against her skin. She leaned back on the headrest, eyes closed behind her black sunglasses. Nilly kept her hand in Damon's, mindlessly playing with his fingers as they sat tangled together between them.

The music pulsed over the hum of the wind wheezing around them as they drove down an empty road. On either side of them were tall, yellowing grasses, fields and fields of it until it wove into the trees of the Old Wood. He hadn't said where they were going, but Nilly figured it couldn't be too far so she didn't ask. They were on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, about twenty minutes from the center of town. Nilin had no idea what was out here other than the road they were on and miles of acreage.

Static began to cover up the song playing on the radio and Nilly momentarily untangled her hand from Damon to fumble with the dial until she found a clear station. Slipping her hand back into his, she turned her head to stare at the passing fields and began quietly singing along.

"And for every king that died  
Oh they would crown another  
And it's harder than you think  
Telling dreams from one another  
And you thought the lions were bad  
Well they tried to kill my brothers  
And felled in the night  
By the ones you think you love  
They will come for you"

She felt eyes on her, as Damon brushed her knuckles with his thumb. When she turned to look at him, again she was hit with the softness in his eyes. Only in moments when it was just the two of them, did Damon drop most of his walls. There was a smile on his lips that she knew he reserved only for her. It made her heart melt like butter in her chest. She smiled, and leaned across the seat to press her lips to his cheek before she looked towards the trees again.

He was something else, this Damon Salvatore. His moods gave her whiplash most of the time. He could go from sweet and loving to cold and sarcastic to impulsive and cruel. It was one of the only things that truly terrified Nilin.

He displayed such a wide spectrum of emotion that she could never keep up. Nilly herself had always had trouble conveying how she felt, and even though Damon could be cryptic and guarded, Nilin knew ways to get through.

Before long he had pulled on to a dirt road which led straight to a dead end meadow. Nilly wondered how he knew where he was going as he parked the car and got out. He flashed around the car, showing off his speed, and opened her door for her. Nilly got out and looked around.

The Old Wood looked different for some reason. Its tall oaks were less menacing than Nilin remembered. The color of the leaves were captivating, such a vibrate green in the rays of sun. She lifted her eyes higher as a blue bird whistled and flew across the meadow. She didn't realize she was standing there, her wide eyes flashing back and forth taking in everything and her lips parted in a smile, until Damon grasped her chin and kissed her.

It was one of his tactics to get Nilin out of her head. It worked most of the time. He smiled as he pulled away from a slightly breathless Nilly. Then he took her hand and pulled her towards the trees. "Where are we going?" she asked, the first words to come out of her mouth since they left the boarding house.

"It's a secret," he said, looking over his shoulder at her. They followed some invisible path that only Damon knew as they began to climb higher. She let Damon lead her as her eyes stayed transfixed at the living forest around them.

Soon Nilin's ears picked up the rush of water and a moment later they broke through the tree line. The sound of water grew louder and for a moment Nilly was still.

Damon stopped and turned around to watch her reaction. Slowly Nilin walked forward, past Damon, and to the edge of the cliff they were standing on. The green lush forest came to an end at the mountain side as she peered down. Below was a sparkling lake, its water every shade of blue imaginable. The darkest parts of the lake were under the massive waterfall that was the source of the sound of rushing water. It emptied into the lake, slicking the rocky hill side.

With her toes still hanging over the ledge, she looked over to Damon who had been silent as Nilin took it all in and as he took in Nilly. "What is this place?"

Damon smiled. "I discovered it when I was a boy," he said, walking over to her and leading her away from the edge for a moment. "It's where I went when I needed a little… fun."

"What kind of fun?" Nilin asked, the muscles in her stomach tightening. Instead of answering, Damon began to unbutton his shirt. He raised his eyebrows at Nilin for her to follow his lead. She quickly slipped out of her white cotton shirt and shimmed off her washed out shorts. When she turned back around she found him in nothing but a black pair of boxers, his eyes looking over her.

Nilly grinned, happy she decided to wear her cute underwear today; matching black bra and boy shorts. She threw her hair back up in a pony tail, the curls bouncing off her back. "Now what?" she asked.

"Well…" Damon smirked as he sauntered over to her. He reached down and gently placed a kiss on her lips.

Nilin smiled, but she smacked his arm when he laid his hands on her hips right above where her skin met her panties. "Damon," she warned.

He just laughed. "Fine, you're just so damn tempting," he said, leaning in towards her before taking her hand and spinning her around.

Nilin couldn't help the girlish giggle that escaped her mouth. "So, are you going to tell me what we're doing up here half naked?" Nilly asked when she threw her arms around his neck.

A dangerous smirk came to his face as his eyebrows rose. "I'll show you," he offered. Before she could comprehend it he was gone.

Damon flung himself over the edge of the cliff and hurled down into the water. Nilly gasped running over to the side just to look over in time to see Damon disappear under the water in a massive splash.

She held her breath until she saw his head pop back up from out of the water. Letting out a groan of relief, Nilin shook her head down at the vampire. "You're crazy, you know that?" she called. She could hear his chuckling below.

"Say that to my face." he shouted back, his neck cranked up towards her. "You're turn!"

"Hell no! Now you're insane, I'm not jumping." Nilly yelled.

Damon laughed again. "Oh, come on Nilin," he said persuasively. She shook her head forcefully. She wasn't a vampire, she wasn't as durable or indestructible as he was. "I'll catch you, I promise," he called up at her. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you, angel."

Nilly whined again, standing up. She took another look down at the water, biting her lower lip as a million terrible situations ran through her head. But with one final groan she backed up from the ledge and took in a shaky breath. Then, shutting her eyes tight, she ran towards the ledge and jumped.

The feeling was amazing. For a moment Nilly felt like she was suspended in mid air, that the world around her stopped. Then the air was whizzing around her and she felt like she was flying. Instead, of course, she was falling, plummeting towards the water.

She let out a screech as she finally hit the surface, submerging completely. For a moment she didn't even care as one feeling of weightlessness was replaced with another. The cool water washed over her body, the bubbles from her impact, tickling her nose. But then Nilly found herself turned around, unsure of which way was up and which way was down. In the next instant though, a pair of strong arms were around her and pulled her up. She finally broke through the surface.

She gulped in a fresh lungful of air and blinked her eyes open. A wide smile broke out on her face as she started laughing. She looked at the vampire who was holding her, a smile of his own on his face. Nilly threw her arms around his neck as she laughed.

"I told you it would be fun," he said cockily.

She shook her head, watching him. His dark raven hair glistened, sticking up in every direction. Beads of water dripped down his face to his chin as he laughed a little. He smiled and all she could think was 'Oh shit'. Nilin kissed him then, constricting her arms around his neck. His arms pulled her closer to him, flushed up against his body.

"You were right," Nilly said, her lips perking up.

Damon narrowed his eyes. "Mmm, say that again," he cooed.

Nilin just rolled her eyes at him before she cupped her hand and dragged it through the water causing a wave to drench Damon. A growl emanated from the back of his throat. "You're going to be sorry for that, angel," he said and before Nilin could comprehend what his words meant she was in the air again. She skidded across the water before going under.

Like a rocket, she shot up, coughing slightly. "Damon!" she screeched as she fumbled with the bangs that were plastered to her forehead. Once she could finally see, she spotted Damon on the other side of the lake, laughing loudly.

"I warned you," he shrugged.

They weren't sure how much time had passed. The moon was already visible in the eastern sky, not quite full yet. Damon knew that Nilin didn't really care, she wasn't in a rush to get back to the real world anytime soon. She wanted to stay in her and Damon's world, lying on the shoreline, staring up at the purpling sky, just as much as he did.

Damon had materialized a checkered blanket after they finally got out of the water. Once they were somewhat dry, Nilin threw her white shirt back on. Damon remained shirtless though, not that she was complaining. They now lounged in the grassy shore of the lake, Nilly's head on his chest, his hand mindlessly sweeping through her damp hair.

The day had been sweet. After the initial jump, Damon couldn't keep her off the cliff. He had lost track of how many times she flung herself off the ledge. Damon watched mostly from a cavern in the rocky side, but being Damon he always felt the need to show off. So that meant impossible twists and flips as he dove into the water. Nilly wanted to try but she knew that she'd probably end up breaking her neck and she didn't want to ruin such a nice day. So she settled for her squealing cannon balls and failing dives, which were too adorable to put into words.

They had been quiet mostly, neither feeling the need to talk. Damon was patient like that. He let Nilin move at her own pace. Her eyes were off in the distance, and every now and then she'd let out a small sigh. Damon desperately wanted to know what was going on in that head of hers, but he felt that even Nilin wouldn't be able to tell him clearly. So he let her be as they stared up at the sky, the same one he had stared at a million times before.

"Thank you," she finally spoke, lifting her head off his chest and placing a kiss there. The feeling sent an electric shock through his body.

"For what?" he asked, putting on his cockiest smile. He saw her lips perk up.

"For today, for every day," she said simply with a little shrug.

They hadn't had much alone time lately. Everyone was pulling and tugging at Nilin. Whether it was trying to find answers, or to research, or to spend the time they were given with her, they sunk their claws in and pulled. It kinda pissed Damon off. He was the one putting her back together, piece by piece. Damon was the one who made a promise to never leave her side, ever.

He'd admit it, he was becoming territorial of her. So any chance he could have to steal her away, he was taking it.

"How often did you used to come here?" Nilin's questioned pulled Damon out of his thoughts.

"All the time when I was younger," he answered. "Even after I turned, years and years later, I'd come back here whenever I was in Mystic Falls again."

"I can see why," Nilly sighed, laying her head back down. They were quiet for a while, lapsing back in to comfortable silence.

"I came here a lot after my mother died," Damon said, feeling Nilin's head shift up so she could see his face. "It helped," he said, looking down at Nilin. "Getting away helped." For some reason, he felt compelled to tell her this. Damon was never particularly fond of showing this side of himself, but Nilin was different. It was okay to share these things with her.

"How'd she die?" Nilin asked quietly.

Damon brushed her bangs back out of her eyes before his stare drifted towards the purpling sky as he answered. "After Stefan was born, she became sick. Obviously they didn't have the medicine or knowledge back then like they do now, so she just faded away. Stefan was too young to remember her, but I do." Damon said, his mind flashing back to the nineteenth century. Nilin was quiet next to him. He looked down at her to find that she had been staring at him. "I raised Stefan after that, my father always too busy to take notice that he had two sons."

"You were so young though," she said.

Damon shrugged. "We had the help. They took care of us like we were their own. Once we got older though, our father seemed to remember that he had children. He took more interest in Stefan though." Damon explained. "Now that I look back on it I think I reminded him too much of our mother," he said with a sad smirk. "I didn't care for him much, either."

Nilin smiled for a moment but then her lips dropped as she rested her chin on his chest. "I think that was the same thing with my father. He always used to say I had my mom's flame, and it made him happy to see that it never went out, but I think it made him sad too." Nilin said. "Certain things I would do or say, would take him back and this somber look would just come over his face."

"At least yours didn't send you to war," Damon said, raising his eyebrows.

Nilly couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up as she scooted up closer to him, coming nose to nose. "Thank goodness he didn't," she smiled before kissing him. "Can you imagine me with a gun?"

Damon smiled. "That's a terrifying thought," he said, kissing her again. She laughed, before pulling out of his arms to sit up. Crossing her legs on the checkered blanket, Nilin sighed. Damon sat up, leaning on his elbow as he looked at her.

She looked like she was trying to tell him something, but the words weren't making sense to her. "Spill," he demanded.

He noticed that her eyes were beginning to water. "When I…," she paused looking for the right words. "Knocked you out," she settled, "with the vervain, that's not the only thing I've been remembering," Nilin admitted. She pressed her cold, still wrinkled fingers together in front of her, looking at them instead of him.

"Go on," he pushed. He sat up quickly, pulling her hands way from her. Her eyes snapped up to his as he held them in his.

"I've been remember some things," she said with a hoarse voice. "From when I was with Christian," she continued, shaking her head. Damon got the feeling she was trying to make a decision. Finally she spoke. "It was only him telling me something, nothing more. And there's only parts that I can recall," she explained to him. Nilin didn't want to get his hopes up.

"At least it's something," he urged her.

Nilin took a shaky breath, looking up at him. His eyes were scorching her as he waited for Nilly to make a coherent sentence. She pulled her hands away from him. The contact was too much at the moment. She feared that it would lead to tears and the last thing she wanted was to cry in front of him again.

So instead she ran her fingers through her drying hair as she remembered her conversation with Mildred earlier. "I think Christian killed my father," she revealed. Damon's face turned hard. "I vaguely remember him telling me. He used a witch to craft a spell or something and just… just stopped his heart."

"To make it look like a heart attack, no one would question it…" Damon realized.

"And no one did, not even me, his own daughter. Everyone thought he drank himself to death, including me! How could I not see it?" she asked, starting to get worked up. The whole thing made her sick.

"Nilin," Damon grabbed her shoulders. "Christian had his bases covered from the start, he planned everything out perfectly. He knew exactly how to get to you."

"It worked," Nilin said, lips trembling. "I had Mildred get the medical reports and all that. I looked over them and it was apparent. There were no blockages, no clots, nothing. It looked like it just stopped, but not lightly. It was violent, and probably painful."

"Nilin, you can't blame yourself for his death. Do you understand me?" he told her bluntly, framing her face with is hands.

She nodded, wiping her eyes dry. So much for not crying again. "I don't. I just wish it didn't have to happen. There was no need for him to die. I miss him so much, Damon."

"I know," he sighed, pulling her to him. She laid her head on his chest and grew quiet for a while.

Nilin felt a lump in her throat. The day had been so nice, she was desperately trying not to ruin it. Damon was the only one she wanted to talk to about this though, no one else could handle her.

She spoke up some time later, picking her head up and looking at him. "With my dad and Elena's parents, it was sudden, unexpected and tragic. But with my mom," Nilin gave small empathetic smile. "And your mother too," she said gripping Damon's hand. "We had to watch them slowly fade away." She dropped Damon's hand for a second to rub her nose as she sniffled a little. "With my mom, everyone was in denial. She had had the cancer before, just before I was born and she beat it. So everyone thought she would do it again."

"But she didn't," Damon said. Nilly shook her head, looking down at their entwined fingers.

"It took six months, they spotted the cancer in May and she died right after my eleventh birthday." Nilly explained. "She had slipped into a coma, a week before and it was just a matter of time."

Damon cupped her cheek before he spoke. "To see someone you love right in front of you and there's nothing you can do for them it's…"

"… Awful." Nilin said, finishing his sentence. He nodded his head, agreeing with her. "The way people looked at me after her funeral, just like they looked at me after my father's funeral," Nilly shook her head. "It was as if I was a kicked puppy, or something."

"Well you, Nilin Gilbert, are no kicked puppy." Damon said and he saw Nilly smile. "If anything, you kick puppies." He watched as Nilly's nose scrunched up, her eyes narrowing as her slim hand came and smacked his arm.

"Gee, thanks," she laughed.

"I only speak the truth," he shrugged as she assaulted his arm with her blows, laughing the entire time.

"I do not kick puppies, Damon," she exclaimed, lunging for him. He found himself underneath her as she straddled him. He tried to sit up, but she put her hand on his chest and shoved him back to the ground clearly amused at her strength. "Take it back," she said, her voice almost a growl as she smirked down at him. He just laughed.

Nilly leaned down, her face a breath away from his. "I don't kick puppies," she said, her breath tingling his lips. He wanted to kiss her, capture her lips but she kept her hand firmly pressed against his chest. He could easily just roll them over, or slide out from under her, anything really but he'd let Nilin have her fun for a little longer at least. Again she said sensually, "Take it back."

"Fine," Damon said dropping his head to the ground again. "You don't kick puppies." Nilin smiled in accomplishment. "You boil kittens," he finished, smiling at her. Before he could hear her compliments he reversed their positions so quick it left her breathless.

"Damon!" she gasped, but then he silenced her with a kiss and Nilly gave up any and all fight. Her hands ran through his hair, gripping him closer to her.

As things heated up, Damon broke away reluctantly. "I should get you home," he said, looking down at the somewhat breathless Nilin.

She smiled and said, "You should, but…" then she lifted her head up and recaptured his lips.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Here is chapter five guys! I really hope you like it. It was a soft, happy moment between the two of them... of course that's not going to last long. I know you all can't wait. ;D I'll be putting up another chapter soon. Thank you guys.

Don't forgot to **_Favorite, Follow & Review._**

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**Get the Song: **

On Top of the World by Imagine Dragons

YouTub DOT com /watch?v=nTkfUFRyC6M


	6. Say You'll Haunt Me

**Chapter Six: Say You'll Haunt Me**

_Little supernovas in my head, little soft pulses in my dead  
__Little souvenirs and secrets share, little off guard and unprepared  
__I was never good enough to find, I was never bad enough to mind  
__In the middle I will do my best. Take me in your arms and leave the rest  
__I will give you anything to say you want to stay, you want me to  
__Say you'll never die, you'll always haunt me_

_~Stone Sour_

Summer slowly began to transform into fall as September came to a close and October began. School kept on dragging Nilin along. She had made up with Elena after their little fight. Nilin realized how hotheaded she had been lately. It was as if she had no control over her emotions. She felt a little guilty for going off on her, but then again sometimes Elena needed to hear it.

The issue of birthparents was rarely brought up again. Elena got Jenna to help her out instead and Nilin was fine with that. Either way, they were back to their normal loving selves, which meant Elena was getting Nilin to do things that she didn't want to do.

On today's agenda: staying after school to help decorate for an upcoming dance. Elena had played the guilt game… That's how Nilly ended up hanging up banners in the gym. Finally, the last one was all taped up. She made her way down the rungs of the ladder carefully. At the bottom she let out a huff and shoved the tape into her back pocket. "Are we almost done yet?" she whined to Elena who was trying to get a cardboard box open. The gym smelled like sweat and pine floor cleaner. It made Nilin want to gag.

"We've only been here an hour," she said, finally managing to rip the top open.

Nilin groaned and took a seat on the bottom bleacher. "Why do you hate me?" was her next question. Elena laughed.

"I don't hate you," she shook her head. Nilly just mumbled to herself. "Come on, you're helping me out here. Caroline bailed."

"So I'm taking Caroline's place? Great, that's great," Nilin huffed. "So why couldn't the queen of mean make it?"  
"Mature, Nil," Elena said, peeking up to shoot her a look. But then she went back to rummaging through the box. "Don't know, she just sent me a text saying she couldn't come." Elena answered. "Hey, do you think you could find me a stapler gun?" she asked, popping her head up again. "There should be one in the supply closet of the art room."

Nilly sighed and bounced up. "Yeah, sure. Be right back." She made her way out of the gym and down the hallway. Of course the art room Elena was talking about was on the other side of the school. It was a little spooky being the only one in the halls, her footsteps echoed through the corridors as she went.

Most of the kids who stayed after school were in a fall sports, which practiced outside. That left Nilin and the janitors to meander the halls. Even knowing that, an unsettling feeling kept creeping up on her. She just thought of it as being tired and stressed… and slightly irritated.

As she walked, she whistled some pop song Shellie had been singing in the car ride to school that morning. It was stuck in her head all day and now it was the only thing she could think of to distract herself. When she turned one of the corners Nilly swore she saw a shadow dash across the floor. She inhaled sharply and froze in her tracks, feeling the flop of her heart.

In an attempt to find any signs of life, she focused her hearing but found nothing.

Shaking her head, she played it off of her constantly fraying nerves. Paranoia and anxiety had been a daily thing for Nilin. She was guessing it was just an angel thing. Either way it left her on edge. It didn't help that the art room was dark and empty when she reached it.

Nilly cupped her hands around her eyes and looked into the window. It didn't help, all she saw was pitch black. Trying the door handle, Nilin was relieved to find that it was open. Now she could get in and out easily. As she went into the classroom, she ran her hand against the wall looking for the light switch. Nothing. She tried the other wall. Nada.

With a groan of frustration, she pulled out her cell phone and used the flashlight on that. She managed to find the light switch over by the teacher's desk. When she flipped the switch up, only half of the overhanging florescent lights lit up, casting shadows around the room. It left Nilin with the heebie jeebies.

She just shook it off and crossed the room to the supply closet on the other side. This time the light switch was right outside the door. Nilin flicked it up and… nothing happened. Nilin cursed under her breath.

Again she took out her cell and turned on the flashlight. Skimming around the shelves in there, Nilin was able to find the stapler gun. She let out a breath of relief and slipped her phone back into her pocket. As she left the supply closet, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight. Nilin paused and looked around the art room. Nothing seemed out of order.

Suddenly she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Nilly spun and braced herself. There was no one there. "Hello?" she called out. There was no response, _obviously_. She was being completely ridiculous.

She straightened herself out and shook her head. She was just overreacting. As she went to leave a noise made ice slide down Nilin's back. It sounded like laugher.

She whipped around, her heart pounding. It sounded like it was coming from the closet. She swore she had closed the door. "Who's there?" she called. The laughter started up again, and not just any laughter. She knew who it belonged to. "No, no, no," she repeated over and over. Nilin clamped her hands over her ears, trying to block it out. "You're supposed to be dead," she shouted.

The noise didn't stop. Suddenly the lights went out and the classroom door behind her slammed shut. A scream tore through Nilin's mouth. In the next second the light snapped back on and she heard a voice behind her. "What are you doing in here?"

Nilin turned to find a janitor standing in the doorway. He was wearing the usual blue shirt, black pants uniform. The look on his face was of complete confusion. She realized that she still had her hands over her ears and she quickly removed them. She looked at the stapler gun on the floor that she didn't remember dropping. Swooping down, Nilly grabbed it and held it up to show the janitor.

He just nodded. "Well, I'm sorry. I didn't think anyone was in here."

"It's okay, my bad," Nilin managed to squeak out.

The janitor held the door open for her as she left. He locked the door behind her. "Hope I didn't give you too much of a scare," he smiled at her when he was done.

"Just a minor heart attack, nothing too bad," Nilin said, forcing herself to calm down. He laughed and wished her a good night. Then he went on his way down the hall, whistling.

Nilin could still feel the pounding heart in her chest. She tightened her grip on the staple gun and started to speed walk down the hallway back to the gym. Never again was she helping Elena, ever. When she got back to the gym, she chucked the staple gun at her sister. It hit her in the side.

"Ow, what the hell?" Elena asked, turning to look at Nilin. "What was that for—?" She paused for a second. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?" Nilin answered quickly, going over to her bag and pulling out a water bottle.

She downed half of it before Elena spoke again. "You look like you just saw a ghost."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nilin asked as she threw the now empty water bottle in the trash. Slowly the blood started pumping back through her heart like it was supposed to. She turned back to Elena, arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, you're pale, sweating and you're hands are shaking," she pointed out.

Nilin jammed her hands into her back pockets. "It's nothing, I'm fine."

"Nilly—"

"I said I'm fine, Elena. Drop it," she suddenly shouted. Elena looked taken back. Nilin ducked her head and ran her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry," she said meekly. "I need to go to the bathroom," she muttered before dashing out of the gym again.

She made her way to the restrooms right outside the gym. Bracing her hands on the sink, Nilin forced herself to take in a few deep breaths. Elena was right, Nilin's face was pale and dewy from the cold sweat that had broken out across her skin.

She rolled her aching shoulders a few times before she pulled out her cell. Punching in the number quickly, she held it to her ear. It rang twice before a cheery voice answered.

"Hey, Shells. Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course, what's up?"

"Listen, this is going to sound crazy but—" Nilin stopped mid sentence. She heard breathing coming from behind her. Something suddenly brushed against her shoulder, leaving goosebumps. Spinning on her heels, the phone went crashing to the floor as Nilin let out a burst of energy from her hands.

There was nothing behind her, other than the fresh scorch marks that she just left across the bathroom stalls. Her chest was heaving as she stood frozen, hand still outstretched. She forced her arm back down to her side.

"Nilin? Nilin what's going on? Answer me. Hello?" she could barely make out Shellie's voice coming from her cell phone on the floor.

She picked it back up and said hoarsely. "Sorry, I'll have to talk to you later."

Nilin stayed crouched down on the restroom floor after she hung up on a frantic Shellie. Her head dropped to her hands and the tears started to pour. More and more things like this were starting to happen. It was as if her nightmare was never truly over. Her mind was haunting her and she didn't understand why.

Finally after some time, Nilin stood back and stared at herself in the grimy mirror. Her eyes were blood shot and puffy and her cheeks were flushed. The skin under her eyes was smudged with eyeliner and mascara. Nilin tried to scrub it off with her knuckles, leaving the skin red and irritated.

A huff of air from between her lips blew the bangs off her forehead. She was debating with herself, taking sides in her own head. Should she tell someone what was happening to her? How does one explain that they're going crazy to another person though? She was guessing that there was no normal protocol for that, no WikiHow page to help her out on this one.

Nilin looked down at the necklace hanging on her chest. The metal was warm as she wrapped the pendant in her hand. It was a Gilbert heirloom. Gilberts were strong, she was a Gilbert, she was strong. It was enough to convince Nilly to leave the sanctuary of the girls' bathroom.

She decided to pace the hallway before going back into the gym, just to make sure Elena didn't have any more questions for her. When she felt like she had calmed down enough, Nilin walked back through the gym; only to find Elena talking to Caroline. She was talking to Elena loudly. Elena seemed to be laughing at whatever she was saying.

As Nilly got closer, Caroline cut her story short. "She totally caught us on the couch…" her voice trailed off as she eyed Nilin. "So this is why the decorations look like an eight year old did them."

"Care, knock it off," Elena warned. "At least she actually sticks to her word," she shot back.

Nilin gave a half smile to Elena. "Well, if you don't need me, I'm gonna get going," she told her.

Elena nodded. Nilin knew she wanted to say more, ask what was wrong but couldn't because of Caroline. So she just smiled and said, "Okay, I'll see you at home then."

"Mmhm, happy decorating." Nilly said, before leaving. She went out the side door of the gym. As she stepped outside, the cool air and sunshine hit her and the last of her anxieties disappeared. She quickly sent a text to Damon, asking if he could pick her up at the school. Her phone lit up with an almost immediate reply. He said he'd be there in a couple minutes.

Nilly wandered across the sideline of the soccer field, watching the girls' and boys' teams as they practiced. She took a seat on one of the metal bleachers out there and waited. Rolling her shoulders a little, she tried to relieve some of the pressure that was knotted there. Her eyes followed the players as they started drills. They were in sync with the whistle that was persistently blown.

As she watched, someone caught her eye. He wasn't with the team practicing or one of the coaches. He was standing under a tree on the other side of the field. That wasn't what drew her attention though; it was the fact that he was watching her.

A strange feeling washed over her. Her body became warm. The tingle on her shoulder blades became increasingly noticeable, as if the muscles under her sensitive skin were twitching.

Nilin squinted her eyes in the sunlight to see if she could get a better look at him. He seemed to be smiling. The boy looked to be around her age. He had strawberry blonde hair that was slightly messy, and a round face with freckles that littered his nose and cheeks. His eyes were on her.

The two stared at each other for a moment. For some strange moment, Nilly was stuck there watching him as he smiled at her. Then someone touched her shoulder. Nilin whipped her head around to find Damon there. "Scare ya?" he asked with a smirk.

Nilly looked back across the field, but the boy was gone. "No, I'm just a bit jumpy," she answered Damon, looking to him again. As she hopped off the bleachers and began to follow him to his car, her body seemed to cool down, and the tingling seemed to subside to its normal irritation.

The thought of the guy was quickly brushed off to the side as she looked up at Damon. "Can we go to the falls again?" she asked in a small voice.

"Rough day?" he asked.

"Rough day," she agreed.

"Then that calls for some drinks," he smirked at her as he held the car door open. Nilin just laughed a little, shaking her head as she got in.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Chapter Six is up! We're moving along. Thank you to all the recent reviews. I absolutely loved them, they fuel my fire to write. This was a totally a mystery chapter, trying to get those minds turning and figuring out what's really going on. Anyway, thank you very much and I'll see you all very soon.

**Favorite, Follow & Review  
**RLS

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**Get the Song:**

Say You'll Haunt Me by Stone Sour (seriously, if you're into to the more hard rock stuff, this song is awesome. Definite 10/10)

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=c2VeusjhchU


	7. Ready to Fall

**Chapter Seven: Ready to Fall**

_I found a shoulder to lean on_  
_An infallible reason to live all by itself_  
_I took one last look from the heights that I once loved_  
_And then I ran like hell_  
_Wings won't take me. Heights don't phase me_  
_So take a step, but don't look down_  
_Now I'm standing on the rooftop ready to fall_  
_I think I'm at the edge now but I could be wrong_  
_I'm standing on the rooftop ready to fall_  
_I count the times that I've been sorry_  
_Now my compassion slowly drowns_  
_If there's a time these walls could guard you_  
_Then let that time be right now_

_~Rise Against_

There she found herself again, toes hanging over the edge of a cliff, as she stared down at the water. This time she wasn't stripped down to her delicates and about to jump. No, now she stood with Damon's jacket over her shoulders and a half bottle of whiskey in her hand. It was a lot colder up on the cliff now, there was a stiff wind that kept blowing through and giving Nilin goosebumps.

The air was crisp though, hitting her face and keeping her at a nice buzz. They had only been up here for an hour or two, but Nilly was already feeling the alcohol seeping into her brain. It pleasantly numbed everything.

Putting the bottle to her lips, she tipped her head back and took another mouthful of whiskey. It burned a little going down, causing her to shudder, but then it made her feel warm inside. "Drunk enough to talk yet?" she heard Damon ask behind her.

"Nope," she answered loudly turning around. "Keep trying, though." Nilin turned back to face the rushing water. Licking her dry lips, she asked him, "Yay or nay, while I was staying at the boarding house you took me out to watch the stars one night I couldn't sleep and we drank a bottle of this."

"Yay," Damon answered her, sounding pleasingly impressed. "When'd you remember that little snippet?" he wondered.

"Thirty seconds ago, I guess the alcohol is good for something," she shrugged as she strolled over to him. He had found a roosting place on a branch of a big tree and was now a good ten feet off the ground. "How'd you even manage to get up there?" she asked. "You've had more to drink than I have."

Damon just laughed before gracefully sliding off the branch and landing right in front of her. Nilin jumped back a little, a gasp escaping her mouth. "You seem to forget that I am an old timer of a vampire."

"Right!" Nilin exclaimed, putting a mocking hand to her forehead. "Big, scary Dracula. How can I forget such a thing?" she said sarcastically then took another swig of whiskey.

"Whoa, how about we slow down a little now?" Damon suggested, reaching for the bottle in her hand.

"Hey!" Nilly slapped him away. "You're the one who wanted to get me drunk, I'm just going a long with it," she said, dodging away from him again.

"Yes, but I don't think Elena would appreciate it if I returned you home passed out and mumbling incoherently." Damon said, making another attempt for her bottle. "Again," he noted.

"Okay, that only happened one time and it was a bad night." Nilin tried to defend herself. The few weeks after her transformation into an angel weren't as glamorous as one might think. They had been hard. Her body was still going through the changes and her mind was still coping with the trauma, which was accompanied with the memory lose. So, to say the least, Nilly took up breaking in to the Salvatore liquor cabinet as a hobby. They didn't appreciate it very much.

"Let's not make it twice, got it?" Damon said, finally snatching the whisky away from her.

Nilly just narrowed her eyes at him, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Give it back," she said, marching in his direction.

She tried to shoot to the left and snag the bottle from him but she was really feeling the effects of the booze now. One foot tripped up the other and Nilin ended up stumbling on her own feet, but caught herself before she fell flat on her face.

"No way," Damon said, taking a sip from the bottle as he dodged her pathetic attempt.

"Give it back now, Damon." Nilin said more forceful, she tried to get it back again. This time she didn't catch herself when she stumbled, and fell right on her butt. Damon laughed as she got up and dusted herself off.

"Or what?" he teased. "You going to send me flying into a tree again?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

Nilin rolled her eyes as she rubbed her now sore ass cheek. Everything was moving slowly to her, the world seemed to be on an incline as she spoke. "No," she said, "I don't even know how I did that."

He was smiling at her as if she was some little kid. It infuriated Nilin to no end. She hated when he looked at her like that, as if she was too inexperienced. She could handle herself just fine, with the grace of age and the wisdom of experience… wait, who was she kidding? She was acting like a drunk fledgling right now.

"You know," he continued to mess with her. "It was really hot when you used your little powers on me," he taunted as he strolled back over to his tree again. "And I don't mean just metaphorically," he said, leaning on it. "You know, with the third degree burns you left."

"Are you done yet?" Nilin asked, her eyes still on the bottle. Damon thought he was being so clever. She wasn't having any of it. "I want my whiskey back," she said, feeling the tingle grow on her shoulder blades.

"No, actually I'm not…" he went to continue teasing her when suddenly the bottle in his hand shattered, sending glass and alcohol everywhere. Damon looked down at his now empty hand and then up at Nilin stunned. She had the same look on her face, as she covered her mouth with her hands. "How'd you…?"

"I don't know!" she said in complete and total shock, but then she started to laugh. She laughed until she was doubled over clutching her side and there were tears in her eyes. Nilin ended up falling onto the damp moss covered ground, still drunkenly giggling, and laid there.

Damon came and sat next to her, "Are you going to explain to me how you managed to do that?"

Nilin chuckled a little more, closing her eyes as the drunkenness washed over her. "I just wanted another shot of whiskey," she said as her head rolled back and forth.

"So you made it explode?" Damon asked.

"Mmm," Nilly said lazily. "I did," was all she mumbled as she ran her fingers up Damon's back. She thought she felt him shiver under her touch, but Nilin was too far gone at that point. "We should probably be more concerned about that," she chuckled again, eyes still shut.

"Don't worry, I am," he said to her.

Nilin fingers stopped in their tracks down his back. Her hand fell back and hit the dirt. "Don't be, I've got this," she mumbled to him before she passed out.

* * *

"She what?" Elena asked Damon as she followed him up the stairs of the boarding house.

"She blew up a bottle of whiskey, a very expensive bottle, I might add," Damon said again. He admitted that on the inside this concerned him more than he was letting on. He didn't need Elena dearest to know that though.

Once Nilin passed out he had scooped her up in his arms and taken her back here. She mumbled the whole time about one thing or another. None of it made sense. Calling Elena had been a move to save his ass, she'd be furious with him. She was furious with him. The way she kept her hands pressed into the skin of her arms and the sharp breaths that were whizzing through her nose were all indications.

"She knows how to do that?" Elena asked, walking up to his bed and poking the lump of blankets there. It made a groaning noise. "How'd she even get a bottle of that?" Elena shot a look at Damon.

"Nilin called me to pick her up. She was all stressed out and on edge," he started to explain. In moments like this, Elena and Nilin were two completely different people. Nilin would be biting the inside of her cheek, swaying back and forth as she sent death glares at him. Her emotions were way more combustible.

Elena just stood still with hard eyes, letting her words do the work. "So what? This is your way of helping her out?" she asked.

"Well, something like that," he answered. Elena just shook her head and turned away from him again. "Hey, don't roll those judgy little eyes of yours, I was watching after her."

"Yeah, looks like a job well done, Damon." Elena said, poking the passed out Nilin again. "Don't you realize she has school tomorrow?" she shot at him, placing a hand on her hip and making Damon wonder how his brother put up with Elena's nagging side.

"Listen," he said, walking over to her. "I'll have Nilin all better and ready to go 8 a.m. sharp tomorrow morning. She just needs to sleep it off."

"Yeah, well she can sleep it off in her own bed under my supervision." Elena said. And there it was. The other boot dropping, the one Nilin and Damon had been waiting for. They had been flying under the radar of everyone, but this was the read flag that brought attention to them.

"Or you can leave her here for the night, and she'll be hangover free for you in the morning," Damon tried to bargain. Elena actually seemed to weigh this as an option as she folded her arms over themselves to think. "It's what's best for Nilin," he tried.

"Don't push it," she said, eyeing him. "You promise she'll be okay for school?"

"I swear."

"8 a.m. sharp?"

"8 a.m. sharp." Damon smirked. He was a bit surprised how quick Elena gave in. Either they were experiencing a budding friendship, which he highly doubted, or Elena didn't want a combative Nilin on her hands.

"No," the pile of blankets suddenly moaned. "8 p.m."

"Well, look whose up," Elena said as Nilin's head popped up, one eye open and hair a mess. "Wanna explain to me why I over heard the janitors complaining about scorch marks they found in the girls bathroom right after you left?" she asked, sitting on the side of the bed, arms crossed.

"Go away," she groaned before flopping her head down again.

"Love you too," Elena said to her before turning to Damon. "You want to explain?" she asked him.

His shoulders dipped with a shrug. "I have no idea. I'm only involved in the drinking fiasco." Damon took a seat on the bed next to her, watching the two girls go back and forth. He felt Nilin's big toe nudge his leg. For some reason the simple action made him smile.

"Nilin?" Elena pushed.

"I had to let off a little steam, so what?" she mumbled into her pillow. Damon couldn't help but chuckle. She definitely was something else.

"Oh, Nil," Elena groaned loudly, smacking Nilin's side.

"Ow! God, woman." Nilly cringed, sitting up on the bed. "Please, stop yelling and hitting the drunk girl!"

"You're impossible," Elena said.

A goofy smile just spread across her face as she flopped back down on the bed. "Mmhm," Nilin mumbled back in response.

"You know you're going to have to talk to us about this, right?" Elena asked her sister. There was no response. "Right, Nilin?" she said poking her. "Nilin?"

"And she's out again," Damon said standing up and motioning to the door. "Let's let her sleep, shall we?" he asked, already prodding Elena out of his room.

"Fine," she said. "I'll see you and her tomorrow morning," she reminded, giving him another one of her pointed looks.

"Of course," Damon grinned, before he closed the door on her. The slightest movement hit his ears. "She's gone, you can open your eyes, faker," he said.

Nilin had rolled over on her back, arms spread out next to her. "I'm so smashed," she mumbled as he walked over to her.

"Last time I take you out drinking, lightweight," he laughed sitting back down next to her.

"Stop with the name calling," she sighed, her eyes fluttering shut again.

He took her one hand into his lap, playing with her fingers. They were the most human thing on her; small, slim, fragile. He traced his middle finger over the lines on her palm, all the way to the blue veins that lay right under the thin skin of her wrist.

"It's not like you've never seen it before," Nilin mumbled next to him. It caused Damon to look down at her. Her eyes were still closed, her breathing slow under the influence of alcohol.

"What's that mean?" he asked her.

She made a movement that he guessed was her attempt at shrugging. "You've seen Katherine before," she explained.

A shot went through his chest. They had made it this long without her name being brought up again. Damon knew it was just a matter of time. He just never thought Katherine would pop through Nilin's drunken mind.

"It's not a secret," Nilin continued. "I mean, I know that she means a lot to you."

"Meant," Damon corrected. "She meant a lot to me."

Nilin snorted, peeking up at him. "Liar, liar, pants on fire," she mumbled. Her eyes were squinted and he figured that the light from the window was bothering her. Damon got up and walked over to shut the curtains. In that time Nilly had scooted up on the bed, putting her head on the pillow.

She was squeezing the bridge of nose. "The room's spinning," she told him as he sat down on the edge next to her. He laughed, pulling the blankets up to her chin. Honestly, he hated when he compared the two of them. The thought made him uneasy. Often times he caught himself thinking of Katherine when he was with Nilin.

It was a natural reaction. He figured it to be curiosity more than anything, but how could he explain that to Nilin. "People have the ability to love others differently," Damon told her softly. Come morning, she wouldn't remember any of this anyway. "I would be lying if I said I didn't love Katherine. I did, at one point, very much, but you are a love I've yet to fully discover yet."

Nilin's hand suddenly shot out and grabbed his. She held the back of it to her cheek as she let out a breathy sigh. "I love… you, don't leave me," she let out a breath. "Don't leave me, Damon. I know, don't…" her mumbling trailed off as the whiskey pulled her back under.

He had to sit there for a moment, watching her chest rise, shudder and fall again. Even when Nilin didn't mean it, she pulled him in. How could he ever think of Katherine when he was with Nilin? In that moment he couldn't find an answer.

Finally he slipped his hand out of her grip, kissed the top of her head and left the room, hoping Nilin would stay asleep for a while this time.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! Sorry I've been so slow to update, I suck, I know XD But here is the next chapter, I hope you like it! Thank you all for the new followers and reviews, I love them, so keep 'em coming. Hope to see you soon!  
Don't forget to _**Favorite, Follow & Review!**_

RLS

**Get the Song:**

Ready to Fall by Rise Against

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=jnmlw38KzxE


	8. Radioactive

**Chapter Eight: Radioactive**

_All systems go, the sun hasn't died  
Deep in my bones, straight from inside  
I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones  
Enough to make my systems blow  
Welcome to the new age, to the new age  
__I'm radioactive, radioactive_

_~Imagine Dragons_

Why was everything so bright? Who the hell was jack hammering on her frontal lobe right now? Nilin sat up, groaning. She squinted around the bedroom. Not her bedroom. She looked down at the giant, expensive bed she was in. Damon's bedroom.

Her body felt heavy, weighed down by whatever was running through her veins. Everything hurt. Drinking had been a bad idea, a very bad idea. If she knew this would be the outcome she wouldn't have done it… that was a lie. She still would have drowned her sorrows with whiskey.

"Good morning, beautiful." Damon's voice suddenly range as he walked into the room.

Nilin buried her head in a pillow. "Shh," she wined. "Why do you have to be so loud?" she mumbled.

"Hey, not my fault." Damon chuckled. He ripped open the curtains to the large window in his room before turning to greet her with a wide cocky smile.

Nilin crammed her head deeper into the pillows. "I hate you so much," she muttered into the white pillowcase.

"You know, that's not what you were telling me yesterday," Damon pointed out as he came around to her side of the bed.

She felt the bed move as he sat on the edge of it next to her. The whiskey had left yet another hole in her memory. Not exactly what she needed right now. It truly was a dumb move on her part. She had to ask for a reminder, "What happened yesterday again?"

He just laughed, sliding one arm under her stomach and flipping her over like a pancake. Nilin flopped on her back with a huff. "Oh god, I'm going to puke," she groaned, squeezing her eyes shut.

"No you're not," Damon told her. "And yesterday something had happened before I picked you up and you thought maybe getting shitfaced was the way to handle it. So, how's that working out for you right now?" he wondered.

Nilin's fist nailed him in the gut. She heard the satisfying sound of air whizzing out of his mouth. "I didn't even drink that much. Why the hell do I have a killer hangover?" she whined.

"Well, my guess is that, since your transition, everything your body does is slower. So, it only makes sense," he said.

Nilin peeked out from the arm she had thrown over her eyes. "Please continue, Dr. Salvatore," she said.

His eyes narrowed at her sarcasm but he continued anyway. "You see," he started, "before, you breathed about eighteen times a minute, now its somewhere around seven. Your heartbeat used to be loud and strong, now it sounds as if you have congestive heart failure and need to be put on a transplant list." Damon explained, causing Nilin to push up onto her elbows to get a better look at him. "I can still get you to blush," he said, winking at her. "But now it's only a faint color."

"Thank god," Nilly said, flopping back and turning on to her side.

Damon just laughed. "So in theory, your entire body is now moving at a lethargic pace which would mean…"

"I get drunk slower but longer." Nilin finished, covering her eyes with her hands. "Great."

Damon just patted her leg that was sticking out of the covers. "Well luckily, for you," he said, getting up. "I have something that will fix this little hangover of yours." He started making his way to the door.

"Wait, Damon." Nilin said, sitting up slowly. He stopped and turned to look at her. "How'd you know all that stuff before?" she asked.

"You mean about your breathing and your heart?" he asked. Nilin nodded. "When I say you intrigue me, Nilin, I mean it," he said with a solemn grin on his lips before continued out of the room. "You coming?" his called.

There was a smile on her face despite her hungover state. Damon had that effect on her. Nilin gradually pulled the covers off, taking her sweet time. She had to, the world was tipping at a ninety degree angle. When she moved to fast, black spots dotted her vision. So she cautiously plopped her feet on the ground, one at a time, and stood. It felt like she was on the tilt-ta whirl.

The stair banister supported her weight as she slinked down the steps moaning and groaning. She was still wearing the clothes she passed out in yesterday; kaki pants and a black tank top which was wrinkled and stiff from her sleeping in it. By the time she made it to the kitchen Damon had already whipped something up for her. She walked over to him sluggishly and pulled herself up on to the counter.

He came over to her and handed her a glass. "What is it?" she asked, taking it in her hand. She looked at the red liquid with a celery stick sticking out of it. She took a whiff of it and grimaced. The smell wasn't unpleasant, is smelled like a garden, but it did send rolls of nausea through her stomach.

"It's a bloody mary, of course. They're supposed to get rid of hangovers, or something like that," Damon said, with a strange smirk. "This one will work for sure."

Nilin narrowed her eyes at him. "Damon," she said slowly. "What's in this?"

His smirk only grew. "Oh, you know," there was a shrug of his shoulders. "The usual; tomato juice, freshly squeezed lemon, a little vodka, a dash of hot sauce…"

"And?" Nilin pushed, holding the glass out in front of her.

"Just drink it." Damon said as he put the glass back in Nilin's hands. She looked at the liquid suspiciously. There was something wrong with this picture.

"What'd you do to it?" she accused, putting it on the counter.

"I added my own little special ingredient," he told her,  
His arms folded over his chest and Nilin's eyes widened in comprehension. She slid off the counter, smacking his arm. "Damon!" Nilin gasped.

"What?" he laughed, "It is called a _bloody_ mary."

"This isn't funny," she groaned, sliding down the cabinet and on to the floor. "I'm not drinking that, just let me go back to bed." Nilin stomach seemed to be crawling up her throat and her head had a drum pounding in it. "_Please._"

"And have St. Elena rip my head off? I don't think so." Damon grabbed her hands and pulled her back on to her feet. "Just drink it. There's only enough of my blood in there to get rid of your hangover."

"I don't want vampire blood in my system," Nilly objected, trying to push the glass into Damon's hands. He just shoved it back into hers. "I'm going to be sick," she whined.

"What's the worst that can happen, other than you actually being productive in school?" he questioned her sarcastically.

Her eyes narrowed. "Damon, you can't be serious knowing my track record." Nilin told him, sticking the unwanted drink on the counter. A sudden wave of wooziness came over, causing her to lean on the edge of the counter as well.

"An even better reason for you to drink it." Damon grinned, but then he became more serious. He took one of Nilin's hands. "You are slightly more durable now, if I saw any problem with this I wouldn't have you do it, but I don't. So drink up."

Nilin looked at the discarded bloody mary, grimacing. It was the drink or going to school with this headache, she attempted to convince herself. She looked at Damon one last time before taking the glass. "I hate tomatoes," Nilly mumbled before plugging her nose and downing the drink.

With one final gulp she slammed the glass down on the countertop and scowled as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Happy?" she asked before going to leave the room.

"Oh, don't pout," he called to her as she ascended up the stairs.

"I'm going to shower and you're not invited," she called back down to him. Nilin heard him mumble something as she went to his room. A grin popped up on to her lips.

Already the symptoms of her hangover were dissipating. No longer did she have the urge to crawl back into Damon's amazing bed with a few Tylenol and some ginger ale. It may have just been a little blood, but it working its way through her sluggish veins— which is probably a good thing because just a moment ago Nilin had been seconds from upchucking.

She passed the king bed without a second glance and headed straight for the shower. Damon's bathroom was something else. She loved it. From the jet powered shower to the claw footed tub, it was god worthy.

Striping off her clothes and turning the shower on, she gingerly stepped in. The room filled with steam. She let the hot water run over her body, slicking her hair back and massaging her scalp. It dulled the last remaining evidence of a hangover.

After a ridiculous amount of time standing there under the pelting water, Nilin began the task of lathering shampoo and conditioner into her long hair. Her body relaxed under the warmth of the water and the heavenly smell of Damon's luxurious high end shampoo. After a while, she reluctantly shut off the water and stepped out of the shower.

Wrapping herself in a towel, she made her way out of the bathroom and over to the dresser drawer that she kept some articles of clothing in.

As she rummaged through it for something appropriate for school, Nilin felt arms wrap around her waist. "You missed out on a great shower, you know?" she smirked as Damon rested his chin on her shoulder.

He sighed, his breath hitting Nilin's skin and making her shiver. "I was banned from it, remember?"

Nilin closed the dresser draw and laughed. "That's right. Too bad, though." She turned around in Damon's arms, one hand on his chest and the other holding her towel around her. "You're going to make me late again," she told him, but made no sign of moving.

He grinned, pulling her closer. "I see you're feeling better."

She sighed, holding her clothes and the towel between their chests. "I am. Though I don't agree with your unconventional ways, thank you," Nilin smiled up at him. Damon just shook his head, but his lips tugged up a little. "Now let me get dress and give me a ride to school so that little debacle downstairs wasn't all for nothing." Nilin slipped out of his arms and walked over to the bed, laying her clothes out.

She looked back over her shoulder to Damon, who had his eyebrow raised and an amused look on his face. "Pl_eeease_?" she added, blinking her wide eyes.

Damon just shook his head as he laughed. He checked his watch. "You've got fifteen minutes."

"Yes, Mr. Salvatore." Nilin curtsied in her towel, a sly grin on her face. It was a risqué move for her, but she loved the way Damon's eyes swept over her. Her heart started to act up and Nilin knew he heard it. The look of a hungry man came over his face and Nilly felt her stomach tighten up.

With a groan, Damon walked over to her leisurely, running his fingers through her damp hair. "If I had it my way, and I wasn't scared to death of Elena," he said with a smirk. "I wouldn't let you out of this room right now."

"Damn those Saints," she sighed. "Always ruining our fun."

"Not always," Damon smirked. His hand stroked the length of her jaw, causing Nilin to lean into his touch and sigh happily. There was a jolt that went through her skin when it came in contact with his. Nilin felt like she was a livewire. It was amazing.

Damon tugged her closer before pressing his lips to hers. Of course she reacted like she always did; her eyes snapped shut, goosebumps popped up across her body, her hand snagged the collar of his shirt and she might had let out a tiny moan.

She felt his hands run down her arms to rest on her hips. Then she felt him tug at her towel. Nilin pulled away from the kiss and eyed him. "A man can try, can't he?" he shrugged with the phoniest innocent smile.

Nilin rolled her eyes. She hopped up onto her tippy toes and gave him a peck on the lips. "Let me get ready," she laughed.

"Fine, fine, fine," he said, throwing his hands up in defeat. "You've got ten minutes now," he called over his shoulder as he left the room.

Nilin shook her head and let out a long breath. She needed a moment to slow her heart rate. Her hands were cold, so she pressed them to burning cheeks and the back of her neck. Her entire insides felt warm and tingling. It was strange. Suddenly she wanted to sprint through the house, singing on the top of her lungs. Nilin just played it off as being a silly girl way up high on cloud nine.

To take her mind off of it, she began to get ready. Quickly, she shimmed into a pair of black skinny jeans. Along with that, she put on a flowy floral shirt with a navy cardigan and the pair of shoes she had been wearing yesterday. She threw her hair up into a pony tail, put on some eye liner and mascara that she found in her bag then she was done.

Nilin took one last look in the full length mirror that hung in Damon's room before grabbing her bag and leaving. She felt so jittery today, like her skin was buzzing and her brain was turned on high. Humming to her self, she all but skipped out of Damon's room. She flew down the stairs, slinging her bag over her shoulder. As she swung around the banister at the bottom of the stairs she slammed into someone's hard chest.

"Whoa there," Stefan laughed, holding Nilin out by her shoulders. "Where are you off to?"

Nilin was laughing, "Sorry, Stefan. I didn't even realize how fast I was going," she apologized, bouncing on her toes.

His deep green eyes landed on hers as he eyed her. As his forehead creased with suspicion, Nilin understood why Damon always referred to Stefan as his brood brother. She blinked a couple times, realizing that Stefan had asked her a question. "Are you feeling alright?" he repeated.

"Hmm, yeah. Fantastic," she smiled.

He gave her a strange look but let his hands slip off her shoulders. "Good," Stefan smiled. "I didn't know you stayed the night," he said slowly. The tone of his voice didn't escape Nilin. "Need a ride to school?"

"Everything's taken care of brother, don't worry." Damon said, appearing out of nowhere behind Nilin. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Why was she so on edge today?

Stefan's eyes were on Damon. Nilin was prepared for Stefan to object and make a comment but instead Stefan just nodded. "Fine, I'll see you later then Nilly," he told her with a small smile before leaving the house.

Nilin turned to Damon. "Well then," she said in surprise. "That was easy."

He shrugged, grabbing his car keys. "There must be something in the air today."

"Yeah, that's it." Nilly mumbled as she followed Damon out the front door.

When the warning bell rung Damon had more or less kicked Nilin out of his car. She cursed under her breath as he tore out of the parking lot, leaving her to fend for herself. Nilin raced to her first period, which was behavior and psychology class with a rather interesting Mr. Carter.

He had short spiky brown hair, and usually wore his pressed dress shirts with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Every student who had him loved him and his class. He was extremely bold and sarcastic and for some reason he always seemed to have it out for Nilly.

Nilin barely slid into her seat before the bell. Eyes lingered on her as she let out a breath and pulled out a pen to take notes. Mr. Carter, a young thirty something year old who'd only gotten a job here a few years ago, sat on the corner of his desk. His eyes stayed on the ungraded papers in his hand, a red pen in another as he chewed on the cap. Nilly thought she made it in without him noticing, but of course not. "Ms. Gilbert," he said, eyes still down on the papers. "Cutting it a little close today, I see."

Nilin cleared her throat as attention turned to her. "Well you know, Mr. Carter. I'm a busy girl," she said over the morning announcements that were coming from the intercom.

"Well, I planned on teaching a class today, think you can manage to fit that into your hectic schedule?" he commented, finally putting the papers downs. There was a low rumble of laughter throughout the classroom. Nilin huffed, and slid down in her seat more while Mr. Carter began his lecture as the announcements ended.

She half mindedly began jotting notes down. Her thoughts were drifting though, it was like she was suddenly on a massive sugar rush. She couldn't concentrate. Her eyes darted around the room, her foot tapped to a frantic beat, and her fingers drummed on the desk.

"What about you, Nilin?" Mr. Carter's voice snapped her attention back on the class.

"Hmm?" Nilin coughed awkwardly.

Mr. Carter just gave her a tight lipped smirk as he stood in front of her desk. "We're analyzing names and the theory that they can describe a person, do you think you could join us for a few minutes here?" he asked, as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Nilin," he continued without letting her answer. "Now that's a strange name."

"Thanks," she mumbled as he went to stand back in the middle of the room.

"It's strange, but can you tell me what it says about you?" he asked, hands clasped behind his back.

"No, Sir. I don't think I can." Nilin answered, sitting back in her seat. She was getting annoyed and twitchy. Nilly didn't like when attention was on her, and now someone she barely knew was going to tell her something about herself.

"Of course not," he laughed. She clenched her hands into fists. "Nilin. Your name gives you an intense desire to be of service to others, it brings out a practical, technical nature. You're a very patient person. You are content to live from day to day to save for your future," he told the class as he paced back and forth.

"You tend to be very logical and set in your ways," he continued. "Once you make up your mind or form an opinion its not easily changed, which tends to leave you emotionally frustrated and creates an irritable and strong temper." Another rumble of laughter came from the class as he stopped in front of her desk. "So, Ms. Gilbert, have I hit the nail on the head?"

"Well, Mr. Carter, those years at community college didn't go to waste," she said, sarcastically. Her classmates chuckled.

He gave her a hard smirk. "Doesn't seem like you're living up your name, huh?" he asked, his tone made her clamp her teeth down.

"I already knew that I was cynical, stubborn, temperamental young adult," she shrugged. "And here I thought all Nilin meant was flower."

Her teacher chuckled a little as he walked back to his desk. "Do you have a middle name, Ms. Gilbert?" he asked, leaning on the edge of it.

"Yes, I do." Nilin said, sitting up in her seat and clasping her hands together on top of her desk.

"And it is?" he asked, inclining his head towards her.

Her jitteriness was beginning to get worse, everyone was watching her and Mr. Carter go back and forth. "It's Selma ," she answered him, squirming in her seat uncomfortably.

"Nilin Selma Gilbert?" he inquired, crossing his arms.

"My parents were very creative," she told him.

"Now I'm going to take a shot in the dark and say you didn't do the assignment I gave you over the weekend to research your name," he presupposed.

"Mr. Carter, are you sure you're not psychic?" she raised an eyebrow. Laughter bubbled up from the desks behind her.

"No, I've just had enough students like you over the years to know how things work," he answered, causing Nilin to give him a forced smile. "So you don't know what Selma means, correct?" Mr. Carter questioned, already knowing the answer as he leaned on the edge of his desk.

"That would be correct," was all she answered as she sat up straighter.

"Selma means divine protector," he told her and the class. Nilin's eyebrows knitted together. "I see I finally got your full attention." Mr. Carter said, but before either he or Nilin could get another comment in the bell rang and class ended.

"Tomorrow, they're might be a pop quiz but you didn't hear it from me!" he informed the class over the sound of frantic shuffling of students filing out of the room. Nilin, who was slow to respond because she was still processing things, stood up from her desk. "Ms. Gilbert," Mr. Carter motioned for her to come over as the next batch of students began to make their way in. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Inwardly groaning, Nilin collected her things and walked over to him. "Yes, sir?" she asked, her books in one hand.

"Your classroom manners seem to be slipping," he told her. "We're not going to have a problem this year are we?"

"No, sir. Not if you stop singling me out." Nilin said sweetly.

Mr. Carter's eyes narrowed as he clasped his hands in front of him. "Now why would you say something like that?" he asked her.

"Because it's true," was all Nilin said. She didn't understand why this bimbo had it out for her, but she wasn't going to be bullied by him all year.

"You see, Nilin. I don't like students like you," he told her plainly.

Her eyebrows rose. "Like me?"

"You're a smart ass. You have problems with authority. You don't take school seriously," he listed, causing Nilin to swallow hard.

"Okay, I get it Mr. Carter," she said, gritting her teeth. "I know I'm not the best student but—"

His laughter cut her off. "No, Nilin. I don't think you do get it." Mr. Carter shook his head. "You barely turn in homework. Your test and quiz grades are just passing and when your in class all you do is take up space. From what I gather from your last school, this is an ongoing thing."

Nilin noticed more students coming into the room for their next class, among them were Elena and Caroline. "I'm trying to get back on track, but I've been going through some stuff lately—" she went to explain.

"Oh, so does that give you a pass to act the way you've been?" he asked. "The answer is no. I know this is high school and whatever you're living in seems like the world to you, but it's not. And, Nilin, there are people out there that are having a tougher time then you are," he told her, jabbing one of his fingers at her.

If she wasn't so angry, her jaw would have hit the floor. She shifted her books in her arm uncomfortably and bit out, "I highly doubt that."

"You're highly doubting me, an educated adult, who is actually successful in life?" Mr. Carter laughed at her. He was shaking his head at her as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "See there's the problem Nilin. Do you honestly see yourself getting anywhere in life with this attitude?" he asked her.

Nilin stared at him, her knuckles turning white from the amount of strength she was squeezing her books with. "Is that an appropriate question to be asking a student?" Nilin spoke slowly.

"Oh, so now you call yourself a student," he sneered. The sound caused her shoulders and chest to grow almost excruciatingly tight. "You know what I see?" he asked her. The only response she could muster up was a shake of the head. "I see a little girl, who's blaming her problems on everyone else around, who's not taking, nor ever going to take life seriously. I see a little girl who once she turns eighteen is just another blemish on the world."

Nilin was shaking with his words. Her entire body was clenched up. Her breathing was coming in sharp rasps and the muscles in her back where cramping up. "I think it would be a good idea to dismiss me, Mr. Carter." Nilin warned him.

"We're not done yet, Ms. Gilbert," he said. "I think you need to take some time to access what you want to do with yourself? Your teenage career is running out, and then who's going to be there for you?"

"Sir, you don't know my family life enough to make any assumptions—"

"I went to school with your Uncle John." Mr. Carter interrupted her. Well that explains everything. Now it was all put in perspective. For those of you who didn't know, her Uncle John was a dickhead. "I think I know."

"Not to be disrespectful, but I'm telling you that you don't." Nilin said through clenched teeth.

"Deceased aunt, uncle, mother and father. You live with your other aunt, a terrible example of parental authority— went to school with her as well," he side noted. "Along with your younger cousins, one whose been labeled a burn out and the other who is actually an exceptional student and top of her class."

"You're crossing a line here, sir." Nilin hissed out. When it came to her family, Nilin was very protective. It was taking every once of will power she had to not lash out at this man in front of her.

He laughed. "Who is honestly going to believe you, with your track record?" he asked, narrowing his eyes. He thought he was so superior, leaning back on his desk, his arms crossed over his chest as he insulted her.

Nilin grounded her teeth, her entire being was vibrating, humming with anger and power. She was too focused on Mr. Carter's words to notice the flickering lights above her. "Is that a threat, sir?"

"I'm giving you two options here, Ms. Gilbert; either clean up your act or don't waste my time coming to my class anymore," he told her, his voice in a forced whisper. Most of his next class was already in their seats, chattering as they waited for him to finish.

"Sir..." Nilin tried to even her breathing.

"Unless you want to amount to nothing like most of your family," he continued. Nilin was experiencing tunnel vision. The only thing in her sight was the asshole in front of her. Somewhere off in the distance a bell rang signaling that the next class had begun. "Which would be a shame, but then again I wouldn't be surprised if it ended up as a like father, like daughter situation."

"Sir." Nilin bit out again, but he kept talking. The florescent lights above them started buzzing again.

"You know Nilin, I wish I could have had you as a student sooner, then maybe I could have stopped you from going down this road. Maybe I could have made something of your life, but as I said before you're too pig headed. Just like your Uncle John, actually."

Before he could say another word, Nilin saw a flash behind her eyes and suddenly Mr. Carter was doubled over and gasping for air. Her eyes were locked on him, she focused everything in her to make him shut up. Make him stop talking, stop insulting her and her family. Anything to make him sorry.

Her face was blank and she was still, other than the trembling hands stiff around her books. She watched him claw at his chest, too far gone to hear the gasps and shouts of the other students behind her in the classroom.

"Mr. Carter!" someone gasped.

"Run for the nurse!" somebody was yelling.

"We need help," another girl was shouting down the hallway. The lights above were still flickering, and Mr. Carter was still struggling for air. Some one was saying her name. A hand clamped on to her shoulder and she turned to see it was Elena.

"Nilin," she shook her. "Nilin, what are you doing? Stop." Elena said. With that, Nilly snapped back into herself. The lights returned to normal. Mr. Carter fell to his knees, inhaling a deep lungful of air and looking around frantically.

Nilin stared at Elena for a moment, her eyes widening in horror as she realized what she had just done. In the next instance, Nilly was bolting out of the classroom.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey lovelies! Happy Monday, I hope you liked this chapter. It was a long one but pretty important. Nilin's getting a bit out of hand if you couldn't tell... I'll be updating again shortly. Thank you all again for reading. I appreciate it so much, I don't know how to even express the amount of thankfulness I have over the support you guys give me. It's amazing.  
So don't forget to Favorite, Follow and Review  
RLS

**********Get the Look: ********go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_eight_nilin/set?id=131704961&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Youtube DOT com /watch?v=iO_WxYC34eM


	9. Losing Touch

**Chapter Nine: Losing Touch**

_Console me in my darkest hour  
__Convince me that the truth is always grey  
__Caress me in your velvet chair  
__Conceal me from the ghosts you cast away|  
__I'm in no hurry  
__You go run and tell your friends I'm losing touch.  
__Fill their heads with rumors of impending doom  
__It must be true.  
__Console me in my darkest hour  
__And tell me that you always hear my cries  
__I wonder what you've got conspired  
__I'm sure it dawns a consolation prize_

_~The Killers_

Shellie had heard someone shouting. Heads turned towards the door. Their calculus teacher stopped mid-explanation of interpreting derivatives to step out of the classroom and see what was going on. Shellie and a few other students followed after, hoping to catch a typical high school fight. But that wasn't the case. Teachers were rushing into another classroom, the one belonging to Mr. Carter. Shellie went to go see what was going on when someone came racing out of the room and clipped her in the shoulder.

"Hey! Watch it," she went to yell, rubbing her sore shoulder. Then she recognized who it was and called after them. "Nilin!" she shouted down the hallway, but Nilly never stopped. She didn't even look Shellie's way.

Shellie raced after her, sliding around corners until she followed her into the girls' bathroom. "Nilin?" Shellie called out again as she opened the heavy wooden door. Walking down the line of stalls, she peeked under each one— all empty except the last. "Nilly?" she said again quietly, as she put her ear up against the door. "Nilly, what happened?" Shellie could hear sobs and gasps coming from inside the stall.

"I need Damon," Nilly cried on the other side. "Please, get Damon."

"Nilin, just unlock the door. Let me come in there and help you." Shellie tried, as she attempted to jimmy the stall door open.

"No, no, no," Nilin shouted. Shellie heard her slam something against the wall. "I need Damon!" she pleaded.

Shellie backed up, swallowing the lump in her throat. She was never good in situations like this. "Okay, okay. I'll get him," she told her. "Just… just don't go anywhere." Shellie mumbled as she pulled out her phone and dialed his number.

"What?" Damon barked when he finally answered her.

"It's Nilly," was all Shellie said, knowing that's all it took.

"Where are you?" he ordered. Shellie could hear the squealing of his tires in the background. She told him and several minutes later he came barreling into the girls' bathroom, interrupting the rut Shellie had been pacing into the floor. "What happened?" he asked as he locked the door behind him.

Shellie shrugged as Damon started towards her. "I don't know," she said, motioning to the locked bathroom stall she was leaning on now.

He nearly bit her head off. "What do you mean you don't know?"

Shellie put her hands up in defense. "I had to chase her down and when I did I found her in here," she defended. "She won't open the stall door."

Was it her, or did Damon seem less composed then his usual cool, calm and collective self? There usually was a good reason when he got like this. If Shellie wasn't on edge already, then Damon showing up like this certainly did the trick.

He shoved his way past her and banged on the stall door. Shellie just took a step back and watched. "I'm here," was the only thing Damon had to say for the door to be wretched open.

Nilin tucked herself against him and sobbed into his chest. "I didn't mean to hurt him," she cried. Damon and Shellie shared wide eyed looks with one another. "There's something wrong with me, Damon." Nilin whimpered.

Shellie watched as Damon wrapped his arms around Nilin. "What happened, Nilin?" he asked her softly. Shellie was always taken aback by Damon's sweet side. It was only brought out by Nilly and a rarity to see. It gave her that happy little quiver in her heart.

"I did it, again. I hurt someone again," she cried.

Damon's eyes snapped to Shellie, any softness in his expression dissolved. "Get Elena and my brother now. Bring them to Alaric's room," he ordered. "Go!" he shouted when he wasn't satisfied with Shellie's reaction time. She jumped at the force of his voice but then turned on her heel and scrambled out of the girls' bathroom.

It didn't take long to find Elena, she was combing the halls looking for Nilly. Shellie grabbed her and from there they met up with Stefan. By the time they got to Alaric's classroom they found Nilly shaking in one of the desk chairs and Damon perched on top of Alaric's desk, watching her intently.

Alaric greeted them, shuffling them into his empty classroom, and shutting the door behind him.

"Nil," Elena called, running over to her sister.

Nilly was pale and trembling. She looked to Elena with a tear stained face. "Did I kill him?" she asked in a horsed whisper.

"No, Nilly," Elena told her, cupping Nilin's face in her hands. "You didn't kill him. He's fine, a little shaken up but fine. The nurse came and took him to her office. He'll be okay though."

Nilly let out a sob of relief and put her head down on the desk. "There's something wrong with me," she mumbled against the desk's top.

Shellie had been watching the two girls in front of her, trying to piece together herself what had happened, when suddenly she saw a flash. She wasn't in Alaric's room anymore, this was in a different classroom. Shellie looked around. She found herself standing next to Nilin and Mr. Carter. "...but as I said before you're too pig headed. Just like your Uncle John, actually."

Shellie's eyes widened at his words he said. The teacher spoke in a harsh whisper, glancing around to be sure that know one else was in hearing distance. Her eyes snapped to Nilin, taking in her expression. She was fuming. Her eyes sent daggers at the teacher, her entire being was humming with energy. Shellie's attention turned to the quivering lights above the scene. In the next instance, Mr. Carter folded in half and started wheezing. Shellie gasped as she was snapped out of her vision, blinking a couple times to focus her eyesight. No one had noticed her time lapse into the past for a few seconds.

Shellie walked over to Damon, who was still analyzing Nilin. "Has she said anything else?" she asked. Damon shook his head 'no', as Stefan and Alaric came over.

"She's been repeating the same thing for the past ten minutes." Mr. Saltzman said, crossing his arms over his chest. "From what I gather, something happened between her and that psych teacher, Carter."

"She kept mumbling over and over how she killed him." Damon spoke up. "But, as Elena kindly informed us, he's not dead."

"I think I know what happened." Shellie said, scratching the back of her head.

"Were you planning on saying anything or what?" Damon shot a look at her. Shellie narrowed her hazel eyes. "I just did, didn't I?" she raised an eyebrow. "I saw Mr. Carter saying some pretty mean stuff to Nilin. Then you can guess what followed. Nilly got angry, the lights started flickering and then Mr. Carter was doubled over, as if something knocked the air out of him."

"Nilin can do that?" Stefan said, looking to his brother. "Did you know anything about this?"

"Calm down, wouldn't want that hair of yours to fall out." Damon shook his head. "And no, I didn't know she could _suffocate_ people, Stefan. If I did, don't you think I might have mentioned something like that," he hissed.

"No, I don't." Stefan shot back.

Shellie saw Damon's eyes spark as he opened his mouth to say something, but before he could she stepped in. "Is this bantering really going to help?" she looked between the two, a hand on her hip. "Thought so," she said as they settled down.  
Elena came over to them, looking back over at Nilin who seemed to have calmed down. "She's burning up," Elena said, her voice just above a whisper. "She says she jittery, that everything is heightened. She can feel electricity across her skin, or something," she informed them.

"So you think this in an angel thing?" Shellie asked.

"It's definitely an angel thing," Damon answered, his eyes passed them and on to Nilin. For an instant, it looked as if Damon was in physical pain just watching her. Again, Shellie found herself astounded by that part of him.

"Angel thing?" Mr. Saltzman spoke up, shaking his head. "Would anyone please catch me up here?"

"Listen, hunter," Damon's eyes snapped back onto the teacher. "The only reason you're here is because this was the closest and safest place I could get Nilin. No other reason, you don't need to be informed on any of this. Understand?" he said with a glare. Alaric just glared back.

"Cool it, Damon. Seriously." Shellie rolled her eyes. "Alaric's on our side now."

"What makes you say that?" Alaric questioned her.

"I saw it," Shellie smiled, bouncing on the balls of her feet a little. Alaric's confusion grew even more. His eyebrows scrunched so close together Shellie thought that he might be left with a unibrow.

"She's a seer, like a psychic." Elena explained quickly.

"I'm not a _psychic_," Shellie drawled out. "That's totally different."

"And not the point at the moment." Damon silenced her.

Shellie scrunched her nose up at him and crossed her arms. Pain in the ass vampires. "Anyway," she got back on the point. "I saw Alaric as friend not foe. I think we can trust him," she turned and grinned at the history teacher.

"Gee, thanks." Alaric said awkwardly. "But I don't think working with vampires is a good idea for me."

"Good, then leave." Damon pushed. Shellie gritted her teeth. Where was Mags when she needed her? She knows how to handle Damon... well, she's not afraid to at least.

"Damon," Stefan warned. Then he turned to Mr. Saltzman. "Ignore my brother. This past summer when Damon and another one of our friends, Magnolia, came to you for help—"

"You mean, when they had me pin against a wall, looking for weapons?" Alaric interrupted.

"Yeah, that," Stefan awkwardly back-peddled. "They did that to help save Nilin, but things turned south."

"Long story short," Damon cut in, his face stone cold. "We weren't able to do the saving part. She died. She went to the other side and they sent her back as a light spirit. It's like an angel. You're a teacher, look it up somewhere."

Mr. Saltzman ignored Damon's last comment. "So, you're thinking that this is a side effect to her... "

Shellie jumped in. "Dying and becoming—" But before she could get another word in, Shellie was shot back into the past again.

This vision was shorter. She was in an unfamiliar kitchen. Shellie guessed it was the Salvatore's, taking in the two people who stood in front of her. She watched the few seconds of vision given to her before she snapped back into the present. This time her time lapse was noticed. Shellie looked between Damon and Nilin before she heard Damon groan. "What future happening did your weird seer abilities predicted for us this time?"

"I didn't see the future," she started off slowly, still slightly dazed from the vision. "I saw the past."

"The past?" Elena asked. "Like years ago?"

Shellie shook her head, she was still staring at Nilin. "No, more like hours ago." Nilly had lifted her head and leaned back in the desk chair when she heard this. Shellie and her locked eyes.

"Well, anything helpful in those pretty little picture?" Damon asked.

"I don't know," Shellie answer. "It was of you and Nilly," she said, facing Damon. His face seemed to have gone blank as he looked at Shellie.

"Damon," Stefan said. "What happened this morning before I ran into Nilin?"

"What do you mean?" Elena asked, looking between the two brothers.

"When I saw Nilin this morning she was buzzing around the place, like a two year old with a sugar problem," the youngest explained.

"So this was going on this morning, Damon, and you didn't say anything?" Elena accused as her eyes sending daggers at him.

He shot out a quick defense. "She was perfectly fine when she was with me."

Shellie's eyes narrowed at him. "No hangover?" she questioned, cocking her head to the side.

The room grew quiet.

"Like I said," Damon repeated slowly. "Nilin was perfectly fine." He glared at Shellie. She wasn't going to lie, Damon scared her a bit and the way he was staring at her now didn't help.

Shellie didn't falter though, she knew the truth. Putting one and one together, Shellie knew what was wrong with Nilin. It was the vampire's fault, but before Shellie could say anything else the lights in the room grew intensely bright, hurting their eyes.

They turned to see that Nilin had stood from the desk. Her body was stiff, arms straight at her side, fingers bent and rigid. Her head titled up towards the sky as her back arched and she let out sharp gasps of air. When she opened her eyes her irises were glowing blue. Everyone was silent, no one moved.

Finally, after what seemed liked forever, Nilin blinked and the florescent lights above them began to dim. With one last shutter they went out, causing the classroom into go dark. Nilin's knees began to buckle, everyone instinctively shot forward to catch her but Damon was the quickest. He grabbed her before she even reached the ground and cradled her to him.

"Nilin?" he said her name, patting her cheek. "Nilin open your eyes."

She laid still in Damon's arms. Everyone seemed to hold their breath until Nilly's eyelids fluttered open. Her eyebrows knitted together as she looked up at Damon.

"Damon, what time is it? I'm going to be late," she told him, sitting up. "I need to get to…" Nilin looked around. "School… What the?" she looked down at herself and then back up at them. "What the hell happened? Why is everyone looking at me like I have three heads?"

"Not three heads, just freaky light bending tricks." Shellie muttered.

"What?" Nilin asked as she shakily stood up with the help of Damon. "I don't understand. How did I get to school? Why are we all in Alaric's room?"

"Nilin, what's the last thing you remember?" Elena asked her sister.

"I don't know…" she looked around the room. "I was getting out of the shower." Nilin turned to Damon. "And we were talking, I told you I had to get ready. You gave me ten minutes and then…that's the last thing I can remember." She was quiet for a minute as she searched the face of everyone in the room. They all looked shaken and the feeling in her gut was that they were shaken by her. "What did I do?" Nilin asked slowly.

Elena ducked her eyes. No one would look at her. Was it that bad? Finally she turned to Damon again. His arms were still around her waist, she was leaning on him a little. "Damon," she said sternly. "What did I do?"

"You got angry again," was all he answered.

Nilin understood. She did something bad. "Is anyone…"

"No," he shook his head. "Elena snapped you out of it before anything that serious could happen."

She was dangerous. How could she be stupid enough to let herself be around people? Nilin was starting to panic again. She didn't fully understand what was going on, but she needed to leave. The worst place for her to be right now was a room full of people she cared about. Her breathing was growing rapid. "Damon, can you take me home?" she asked slowly, feeling the pressure of tears press on her eyes. "Take me home, now please."

"Yeah, come on," he said, already leading her towards the door. He was in as much as a rush to get her out of here as she was.

"Nilin should go home," Shellie agreed.

"That's what I'm trying to do, witchy." Damon told her as he walked past.

"With Elena," she finished, causing him to stop.

"Shellie's right," Stefan said as Damon slowly turned back around to face them. Nilin was still close to him, his hand on her back, her fingers around his arm.

"I think I can take care of this one," Damon told him. He eyed Shellie once more, sending a silent threat to keep her mouth shut.

Shellie was stubborn though, and stuck with her gut. "Nilin shouldn't be around you right now, Damon," she said slowly. She looked to Nilin. The girls' eyes met and Nilin's widened, realizing that Shellie knew what had gone on this morning.

"That's why," Nilin breathed slowly, shakily sinking down into the nearest chair. "I'm so dumb."

They started to cluster around Nilin, waiting for her to pick her head up and meet someone's eyes. Damon stayed by the door as if he might need to make a quick escape. Nilin kept her head in her hands, slightly shaking. This morning, her hangover, Damon's "special" bloody mary, it all made sense now. Could it be that the vampire blood reacted with her new found body with unseen consequences? Or was it something else?

It definitely was a power boost, which would be good, if her body wasn't still so fragile. But her body was, and that meant she couldn't control anything that was going on inside of her. She was a ticking time bomb, or was she? Looking down at her tapping foot, Nilin asked, "What happened just before I came to?" No one answered her. "I said, what happened?" she put more force in her voice.

"You went rigid, Nilin." Elena said in a hushed tone. "Like you seized up or something. Then the lights all went out."

That must have been her body's self protection mechanism. She burned all the energy out, to the point of fainting. Was she completely back to normal though? She surely felt drained. "I need to leave now." Nilin shot up from her chair and tried to burst out of the room. A tall, dark and handsome vampire blocked her way though.

"Let me escort you then," he said.

"I need to leave by myself, Damon. I'm not safe to be around," she tried to push her way through. He didn't argue, but he didn't budge.

"Not before you tell us what happened," she heard Elena demand behind her.

"This is not the time, Elena," Nilly told her as she turned and attempted to get passed Damon again. It was another failed attempt.

"Then when is?" Elena asked. Nilin didn't answer at first. She was looking at Damon, their eyes locked together. A silent messaged passed between them. They needed to keep their lips sealed and both get out of this classroom… alive.

"Not now, Elena." Nilin said through clenched teeth. "This is not the time to push me. Understand? You saw what happens when I get pushed."

Everyone grew silent again. It was as much of a threat as it sounded. She never took her eyes off of Damon's. The minutes ticked on. Finally someone spoke up.

"I'll take Nilin home," Alaric said. "I have another free period after this."

"Good idea," Shellie said. No one else objected.

"Thank you, Alaric." Nilin said, she still hadn't moved. Her head was still tilted up to look at Damon. He was blurry because of the tears in her eyes. His hand slowly came up to her cheek and he brushed a few salty escapees away. Then he quickly pecked Nilin on the forehead and stepped out of the way as Alaric came over, keys in hand.

He placed a hand on Nilin's back and led her out of the classroom and to the front of the school. There wasn't really anyone around, one of the bells had just rang, causing a few stragglers to rush to their classes but other then that it was just Alaric and Nilin.

She wasn't feeling well and he must have seen that. "I'll pull the car around. Will you be okay here?" he asked her. Nilin nodded her head, a small smile on her lips. She watched Alaric's back as he crossed the parking lot. She pulled her phone out of her pocket to figure out what time it was and get a bearing on the day.

Her hands were shaking badly though and she fumbled with her shallow jean pocket. The phone slipped through her fingers and skidded against the concrete. Gritting her teeth, she walked over to pick it up but when she went to bend down, a hand appeared and snatched the phone before she could.

Nilin stood up quickly and came face to face with a guy. He had a dimpled smile on his face as he held her phone out in front of him. She took the phone from him, her body began to feel warm but her hands had stopped trembling. "Thank you," Nilin said quietly, turning over her now scratched phone.

"You are very welcome," Dimples said. Nilin looked up at him, he had a good few inches on her. His strawberry blonde hair and freckles seemed to prick at her memory.

"You look familiar," she told him. His eyes were so strange; one was a light baby blue, the other was a pastel green. He laughed, ducking his eyes as he ran his fingers through his messy hair.

"I was just going to say the same thing actually," he said.

"Have I seen you around before?" Nilly asked, rubbing her shoulder blades that started to tingle uncomfortably.

"Probably not," he chuckled. "I just moved here. Today's my first day."

"Oh," Nilin said, but before she could say anything else Alaric pulled up to the curb. He reached over and opened the passenger seat door for her from the inside.

"I should probably get to class," the guy smiled.

"Yeah, thank you again," Nilin waved her phone. He smiled at her again and began to head for the school doors. She went to get into Alaric's car when she stopped and turned around to look behind her.

"Hey!" she called and Dimples stopped, turning around. "What's your name?"

He laughed. "Finch, Finch White," he told her. "And yours?"

"Nilly, Nilly Gilbert," she mimicked him.

She saw Finch smile again. "Well it was a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Nilly."

With that she got into the car and closed the door. Alaric began to drive away, asking her which radio station she preferred. Nilin didn't really pay attention as she stared out the window while her history teacher drove her home. She mindlessly rubbed her left shoulder blade again, the tingling minimized.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Chapter 9 up! Hey guys, so this chapter and the next are mostly about figuring out what has been going on with Nilin. Don't worry, the plot lines going to pick up. I promise, so keep on reading. I hope everyone is having a fantastic summer and I'll being updating real soon. Thank you all again.  
Don't forget to **Favorite, Follow and Review.** It seriously means the world to me.

RLS

**********Get the Look: ********go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Elena & Shellie's Outfits: /chapter_nine_shellie_nilin/set?id=132125129&lid=3742036

Finch's Outfit: /chapter_nine_finch_white/set?id=132125482

**Get the Song:**

Losing Touch by The Killers

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=EieA3KIykjg


	10. Ode to Sleep

**Chapter Ten: Ode to Sleep**

_I swear I heard demons yelling, those crazy words they were spelling  
__They told me I was gone, they told me I was gone  
__But I'll tell them, why won't you let me go?  
__Do I threaten all your plans? I'm insignificant  
__Please tell them you have no plans for me  
__I will set my soul on fire, what have I become?_

_~Twenty One Pilots_

She came home to an empty house. It was only eleven thirty. Jenna would be at work until later that evening. Nilin would be alone for hours. For a while she just stood by the front door, looking up the stairs, unsure of what to do. Her body still hurt but she felt like she had gained control of it again.

It was just a dull throb that ran through her muscles every time she moved too fast. Her head was fuzzy though. She rubbed her hands over her face a couple times before she finally moved. Dropping her books on the bottom step, her feet took her up the stairs slowly. She reached her room and immediately stripped off her jeans for a pair of sweat pants and threw on an old sweater over her top.

Her bed didn't look appealing, so she banged down the stairs and made a nest on the living room couch. She clicked on some daytime talk show, only partially paying any attention to it.

Alone time was good for most people and a lot of the time she loved it. At the moment, though, it was probably the worst thing for Nilin. Her thoughts were screaming at her, her head was buzzing and her eyes were stinging. All Nilin wanted was answers, something, anything. Leaning her head back on the cushion, she tucked herself into the corner and cocooned herself in her favorite knitted blanket.

The smells of her home floated around her. The lavender fabric softener they washed everything in, the vanilla candle Jenna always burned and fall air that drifted through the window Nilin had cracked open; they settled around her, clearing her head. She loved her home, she just wished someone was here with her.

That's when the sting of tears hit her eyes. Nilin buried her head into the blanket and let out a scream. The shrill sound was muffled by the blanket. She forced all of the air out of her lungs until she was lightheaded.

It was a scream of frustration, of anger and pure uncertainty. It was a scream that left her throat like sandpaper and caused her chest to burn. Nilin didn't know what else to do. This was the only thing she _could_ do. She didn't have control over anything anymore. It was as if she had been dropped on her ass three months ago and someone's been laughing at her ever since.

All she knew was that she was given something that she didn't understand, or have full control of. Her memory was shit, and she was losing more of it daily. There was a reason all this was happening to her, but she had no idea what. Someone was pulling the strings. Who exactly?

Now, wasn't that the golden question.

She pulled her knees to her chest and rested her chin on top of them. Silent tears ran down her cheeks, darkening the blanket where they fell. Nilin held back the watergates from opening fully, she didn't want to cry anymore. It was something she did too much. She didn't know how long she sat there like that, just staring at the glowing TV screen blankly.

At one point, Nilin's ears picked up on a car pulling into the driveway. She wiped her tear stained cheeks with the sleeve of her sweater and hushed her sniffles to listen. There were two quick knocks on the door, before someone let themselves in. Nilin didn't move, she just waited for whoever it was. Suddenly, Magnolia was plopping down on the couch next to her, plucking the remote out of her hand.

"How'd you know I was here?" Nilin asked, her voice sounding scratchy and dry.

"I just followed the volcano of spewing emotions," Mags said as she flipped through the channels. Nilly eyed her. "I'm just kidding," she admitted. "Shellie called me, freaking out, and told me what had happened."

"She had a right to be," Nilin said. The two girls grew quiet, Mags's long legs stretched out and propped themselves up on the coffee table. "I don't know what's going on with me," Nilly managed to mumble out as she stared at the tattoo intricately etched on Magnolia's calf.

"Yeah, I picked up on that," Mags nodded. "I can't say I'm too skilled in this department. I mean, I've only heard tales about the Otherside; angels and all that include," she explained. "It was like the happy bedtime stories our parents told us after the ones with vampires and monsters."

Nilin huffed a little, she meant for it to sound like a laugh. She loved how Magnolia never grouped vampires in with monsters, even though some should be. It was a respect thing, for all the good lamia she's come across— or that's how Mags explained it. "I nearly killed my teacher," Nilin breathed out, shaking her head.

"We've all had those days," Mags sighed, settling on some survival TV show.

"You don't understand," she said, running her fingers through her hair. "I wasn't there, that wasn't me. I lost control."

She saw Magnolia's jaw lock and she swallowed hard before she could answer.

"Nilin, your emotions are going to kill you if you let them take over," she told her. "You let fear win and you scorched Damon. You allowed rage to over power you and you strangled your teacher," she explained calmly. "Now you're doing it again, just look at your hands."

Nilin's head snapped down. Her hands were glowing. "For the love of—" she shoved them under her armpits.

"Calm down," Magnolia stressed, pivoting on the couch to get a better look at Nilly. "You need to sort your actual emotions from the angel's emotions. Understand?"

Nilin nodded. "Yeah, but how?"

Magnolia muted the television and used her legs to push the coffee table up against it. Then she stood up and grabbed Nilin's arm. They swiftly sat down in the middle of the living room, legs crossed. Sitting across from Magnolia, Nilin laid her hands in between them. They were shaking lightly.

"Close your eyes," Magnolia told her and Nilin listened. "You have to remember who you are. You are not the things you're feeling, that does not make Nilin Gilbert. Who you are is much deeper, those feelings are just electrical currents skimming the surface and keeping you from gaining control." Magnolia spoke evenly and surely. "You need to out circuit them. Remind yourself who you are."  
"I am Nilin Gilbert," Nilly said out loud, she repeated that in her head over and over again.

"Good, keep doing what you're doing. It's working," Mags cheered her on. Nilin said it over and over again until she felt light, as if she was floating. For the first time in months Nilin felt as if she was human again. Her heartbeat picked up and her body grew warm as her other senses were dulled to human standards. There was no ache in her muscles, no emotions drowning her brain. She was alive again.

Nothing good ever lasts, though. Something had disturbed her concentration and Nilin went tumbling down from bliss. She was locked back into the civil war within her body. Her eyes opened slowly, she looked at Magnolia. "How'd I do that?" she asked quietly.

Mags shrugged, "An old Servitor trick. It helps us separate ourselves from our powers when they become too overbearing. I thought I'd give it a shot with you. I guess it worked, mind over matter and all that."

"Oh, it worked." Nilin said, leaning back so the couch supported her. "It was weird, I swear, for a moment, I felt normal again."

She felt Magnolia lean back, next to her with a sigh. "Pretty nice, right?" she said as she tilted her head to the side. "This is our life now, Nilin, where feeling normal has become a luxury."

"Pretty sad," Nilin mumbled. There were just so many things wrong and she didn't know how to fix them. It scared her. Nilly had always been the one to fix things.

"Yeah, but it's the hand we were dealt," Magnolia's shoulder brushed up against Nilly's as she shrugged again. "We wouldn't be given it if we couldn't handle it."

"What if I can't handle it," Nilin whispered.

"Well then we'll all go down with you trying," Mags told her. "What happened today was just a massive crack in the glass. You'll get past it, cracks can be repaired," she promised.

"Thanks Mags," she smiled a little, turning her head to look at the older girl. "I know I haven't been easy to deal with and all."

Magnolia let out a chuckle. "Hey, I grew up with Shellie my entire life. Trust me, I can handle you."

Nilin smiled. She nudged Mags with her elbow. "Can I tell you something?" she wondered. The corners of her lips dropping.

"Yeah, of course. Shoot, kid," Mags said, sitting up and looking to Nilin.

Her throat was still dry, when she went to talk the words hurt to come out. Nilly coughed to clear it. "Sometimes I think I still see him," she confessed in a voice that was just above a whisper.

"Who?" Mags asked, sitting up to get a better look at Nilly.

"Christian." Nilin said his name. She didn't move to see the look on Magnolia's face. Here eyes stayed locked on the TV screen. "It's like someone's trying to drive me crazy," she mumbled. "It might be working."

"Do you think it's those things you saw on the Otherside?" Magnolia wondered.

Nilly felt her eyebrows knit together. Confusion sunk into her features as she turned to Mags. "What things?"

Mags smacked a hand to her forehead. "I forgot, you forgot," she said, shaking her head. "When you woke up," Mags started. It was the nicer way of saying came back from being a corpse. "You started going on about these people over there that talked to you. You called them the Guardians."

Nilin shook her head. It was as if she could feel the hole in her memory. "Yeah, nothing. I'm getting nothing."

"Well, my dad used to tell me about them. He was always fascinated by the Otherside. The Otherside is where supernaturals go, the Guardians are supernaturals that kinda statute everything over there. How'd they get there?" Mags shrugged. "No one knows. They're mostly witches, old ones. I knew exactly what you were taking about when you were mumbling away."

"Maybe they're mad at me for leaving." Nilin proposed, rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. She felt uneasy all of a sudden, as if her living room wasn't as safe as she thought. "Maybe they want me to go back."

"Well they're going to have to get through me first," Magnolia told her. "You're not leaving us anytime soon, don't worry."

"We don't know what we're up against, Mags. Who knows what anything on the Otherside is capable of?" Nilly pushed, causing Magnolia to grow troubled.

"Nothing's going to happen to you, Nilin," she swore. "There is no way they can just pluck you from one esoteric field and plop you back down on another without your consent. That's not how it works. They're noble, they live by a code."

"So how'd I get back over here then?" Nilly asked, dropping her hands into her lap. This is all her life was now, question after question. No answers.

Nilin was quiet for a second. Magnolia noticed the way her hands clenched and unclenched. Waves of emotion rolled off Nilin and Mags tried her best to stomach them. "It was bad," Nilin spoke quietly. "It must have been bad, how I died. No one ever really told me. I just know it was Christian's doing, and I saved Elena," she murmured.

"I'm not sure. I wasn't there," Mags felt the need to tell her, though Nilin already knew that part.

"Maybe it's a good thing I can't recall anything." Nilin's eyes began to water.

"I mean, you guys already look at me differently," she said blatantly. "Everyone does. It's like I have 'freak' branded on my forehead."

"Nilin, no we don't," Magnolia tried to deny.

"That first week I came back, no one could look me in the eye. Elena could barely be in the same room as me for more than ten minutes before she broke down and started crying. Damon treated me like a stranger, like the real Nilin actually died in that meadow and I was an imposter." Nilly sat up now, but didn't look at Magnolia. She pulled at the dead ends from the hair that fell in front of her eyes.

"I'll admit it, we were all a little freaked out. No one new exactly what to do," Mags said. "We were scared, even Damon."

"Not much has changed," Nilin continued. "Everyone holds me out by arms length. They don't know how to act or what to say when they're around me. It's like I'm a stranger walking around in someone else's life."

"What are you saying, Nilin?" Magnolia asked.

"I feel like I don't belong here sometimes, Mags," she answered.

Magnolia was silent. Nilin's regret and hopelessness bubbled up in Mags's chest, crushing her lungs. She ran her fingers through her short hair, unsure of what to say next. "Please, don't let anyone else hear you say that," she said softly. "You're needed here Nilly, more than you know. You weren't supposed to die in that meadow back in August and you know it. Don't say that again, ever. I can handle a lot, but knowing that you regret coming back is one thing that I can't." Magnolia told her.

"No, Mags," Nilly said, reaching out. "That's not what I meant."

"Forget it, Nilin," she said, standing up. "It's okay, I'm fine. I should get going though."

Nilin popped up. "Wait, Magnolia."

"I'll drop by later and check up on you," Mags said, starting for the front door. "Get some rest, Nilin, okay?"

"Okay," Nilin nodded, looking down at her bare toes. Magnolia left the house, walking down the drive way to the waiting car. Damon was leaning on the passenger's side door, arms folded over his chest and expression hard.

"I'm gonna take it that you heard all of that," she asked him.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I heard all that." His eyes on the front door of the Gilbert house as he opened the door for her.

Mags slid into the seat with a sigh. Her door closed and a moment later his opened as he got in. "What do we do now?" He didn't answer her. "Damon?"

"I don't know, Magnolia," he said in a harsh snap. He was gripping the steering wheel so hard that his knuckled were busting through the skin.

Mags gritted teeth. She hated vampire emotions, they were a hundred times worse. "It's been a long day, if you would," she motioned to the still parked car. Without a word, Damon threw the car in drive and sped down the road. "Thank you, Mags for being my little spy and picking at Nilin's overly stressed brain for me. You really are a great friend," she said in her best Damon Salvatore voice. "Why you're welcome, Damon," she answered herself as they drove down the road.

Damon didn't say anything. Magnolia sighed and closed her eyes. She was starting to get a migraine… she wondered why… "Thank you, Magnolia," he said after a while.

A little smile spread across her face. "You forgot the 'You really are a great friend' part," she told him. He just turned and eyed her. "Too far, okay got it." Mags nodded, before turning back to look out the window. The rest of the car ride was silent.

* * *

**Author's Notes:  
**A little bonding between characters is always good for the soul, don't you think? I hope you enjoyed this chapter, like I said after this things pick up. Stay tuned. Thank you all, my fabulous readers. It means so much, keep up with the reviews. I love to read them, even if you're just saying hi. I don't mind.  
See you soon,  
**Favorite, Follow & Review!**

RLS

**********Get the Look: ********go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_ten_nilin/set?id=132336837&lid=3742036

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_ten_magnolia/set?id=132336942&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Ode to Sleep by Twenty-One Pilots

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	11. Heaven Nor Hell

**Chapter Eleven: Heaven Nor Hell**

_I saw an angel become the devil  
__Still they look pretty good hand in hand  
__Well baby, I don't need any of them .Heaven nor hell  
__Evil came down on earth.  
__And it beholds more than you love, more than you love.  
__Heaven don't fall on earth  
__What you behold is no longer a word, no longer a word_

_~Volbeat_

Nilin spent the remainder of the day in her room. Around four o'clock she listened as Elena and Jeremy came home from school. The front door rattled shut downstairs. Footsteps went up the stairs and towards her room. They seemed to pause at her door but after a second, continued down the hall. A door closed and Nilin guessed it was Elena's.

Nilly didn't move from her spot on the floral sofa in the corner of her room. With a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her blinds drawn closed, she was in her own little world. To keep her mind off what happened today as much as she possible could, she had grabbed a book. Nilin was halfway done with it by the time she heard Jenna come home.

Her world was interrupted as Jenna came into her room, not bothering to knock.

She walked over to Nilly, still in her pencil skirt and heels from work, and took a seat on the edge of Nilin's bed across from her. "How are you feeling, sweetie?" she asked, crossing her ankles in front of her.

Nilly shrugged, "I've been better."

Jenna reached out and touched the back of her hand to Nilly's forehead. Then she did the same to the back of her neck. It was something Nilin's mother always did when a younger Nilin was sick. "Alaric told me you got sick during your first period? I'm glad he was there to take you home. That was awfully nice of him."

"Yeah, you should repay him with a date." Nilin suggested.

Her aunt's eyes narrowed at her as she dropped her hands back into her lap. "Well, I'm glad to see you're not that sick," Jenna shot back. "And you know we're not like that," she pathetically denied.

One of Nilin's eyebrows raised. "Oh come on, Jenna. He's over here all the time, that or your out with him till the early morning hours. You clearly like each other a lot."

"You sound like your mother, you know that?" Jenna mumbled.

"Yeah, yeah," she replied. "Why don't you just admit you _like_ him?"

"Because it's more complicated then that," Jenna told her.

"Oh yeah?" Nilly pushed.

"Yeah," Jenna went to argue but stopped. "Hey, I'm the adult here. Why am I having this conversation with you?" Nilin just laughed, shaking her head at her aunt. "What about you and Damon, hmm?" The laughter cut short.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Nilin said, coiling herself up in her blanket more.

"You are the world's worst liar, Nilin Gilbert." Jenna laughed. "It's no secret that you two have had a thing for each other all summer. What that thing is… I'm not sure…"

Nilin shrugged. "I'm not sure either."

"So, what… He's not like your boyfriend or anything?" Jenna asked, hinting a little.

"I don't think Damon Salvatore is really the boyfriend type, Aunt Jenna," she told her. Even though her heart jumped like the girl she was at the mention of his name. "It's complicated," Nilin threw back.

Her aunt narrowed her eyes. "Hmm," she hummed.

She squirmed on the little floral sofa. "What?" Nilly asked, feeling her cheeks grow warm.

"Nothing," Jenna answered as she uncrossed her ankles and stood up. "Just trying to figure out how I feel about this. Damon has a reputation you know. I just want you to be careful."

"Jenna," Nilin sighed.

"What? I didn't say you can't, I just said be careful. This is me being a guardian," she laughed. She started to walk towards the bedroom door. "Wanna come down and help me make dinner? The four of us haven't sat down and had a meal together in ages."

The thought of facing anyone made her uneasy. Nilin looked away from her aunt. "Um, can we put a rain check on that? I'm just not feeling up to it tonight."

"Of course." Jenna gave her a small smile. She went to leave, but stopped herself. Jenna walked back over to Nilin and kissed the top of her head, smoothing her hair out. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs," she promised.

"Thank you," Nilly said softly, feeling like a little kid again. And with that, Nilin was alone once more.

The conversation with her aunt took her mind off of what had happened this morning, but with the mention of Damon's name her heart sunk. She had been waiting for him to show up all day, and he hadn't. Nilly needed him to tell her that everything was going to be okay, as pathetic as that sounds.

Not wanting to sit around anymore, she left the warmth of the sofa and the blanket to go into her bathroom. She ran a hot bath, steaming up the room, and slid into the soothing water. The water burned her skin a bit, but Nilin didn't mind. Soon she had sunk down so only her head and the tops of her knees were peaking out.

Chin deep in the water, Nilin let out a shaky breath causing the surface to tremble. Then she slipped completely under. The hot water made her face tingle. Her hair swam like tendrils around her. Nilin opened her eyes under the bathwater and stared up at the blurry ceiling above. Air bubbles slipped out of her mouth, floated up and disappeared.

After some time, her lungs began to ache and Nilin sat up. She slicked her hair back off her face and pulled the stopper up, allowing the water to swirl and empty out of the bath. Standing up, she wrapped a towel around her and combed out her wet tangled hair.

Nilin looked at herself in the mirror. It look like she hadn't slept for days, the bags under her eyes were gruesome. Her cheeks seemed to be sunken in and her skin had an overall dull look to it. There was also a throbbing headache that was starting to take over her skull.

Today had taken everything out of her. The last of her strength was used up in throwing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of her boy short underwear on. By the time she was able to crawl into bed it was around eight o'clock.

Light from the hallway peeked into her room from under her door. She could still pick up on the noises of her family. Someone was watching TV loudly downstairs, and she could hear Elena's voice drifting from somewhere. Nilin figured she was on the phone, chatting with Stefan, like she did almost every night. For a moment Nilin wished she had that nifty vampire hearing. She wanted to know what Elena was talking about this night.

As she laid there, listening, sleep managed to find her quickly. There were no dreams or memories that played behind her eyes as she drifted off. Nilin was thankful for that. Sleep was hard to come by lately.

She was able to drift off for a few dreamless hours before she was woken up by the sound of her bed creaking. Her eyes shot open instantly, but she didn't make a move as she felt her covers lift up. Nilly's heart pounded in her chest, until a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her back against a hard chest. She let out a breath as Damon nuzzled his nose into the back of her neck.

Immediately she was hit with the sharp smell of alcohol.

"Have you been drinking?" she whispered, feeling Damon's grip tighten on her.

"Maybe," he mumbled against her skin. Nilin sighed, squirming a little to get comfortable.

"You better not be blaming yourself," she told him quietly. He didn't say anything to her. "Damon," Nilin laid her hands over his, rubbing gentle circles into his arm. Again, he didn't speak. "Please say something," she asked, feeling her chest unravel with gloom.

"Nilin," he sighed, his breath tingled the back of her neck. "My Nilin," he breathed her name again, his voice strained. "Your life wasn't supposed to be like this," he said so quietly that Nilin had trouble hearing him. "Our lives weren't supposed to be like this," he told her.

Nilin's lips trembled slightly. She couldn't speak for a moment, fearing a sob would come out if she opened her mouth. She still hated crying in front of him. "We were supposed to grow old, have kids and die, grey and happy in our beds. Not this hell," Damon continued to mumble.

"If our lives were any different we'd be strangers to each other," Nilin said. She was crying now, hoping that he was too drunk to realize. "We would have never met."

He sighed, "No. No, we wouldn't be. I would have found you." His grip loosened up on her enough so she could turn in his arms. They were nose to nose now, Nilin looked at him. His eyes were closed, his forehead rested on hers. Her heart was trembling in her chest. "This is me apologizing to you, if you couldn't tell."

Nilin laughed, wiping away the tears on her cheeks. "Breaking into my room in the middle of the night, drunk off your ass?"

"I'll admit I could have worked on the presentation," he smirked, his eyes still closed.

"It's okay," she sighed, pressing a kiss to his neck. Nilin saw the corner of his mouth turn up. His hand had sunk under her t-shirt and his fingers were drawing lazily shapes in the skin there. It made it almost impossible to keep her eyes open.

"If I found you back in 1864," he said. "I'd walk up to you, take your hand in mine, and place a kiss on top of it. You would curtsy for me, shielding your blushing cheeks with your fan. Then I'd court you for some time, we'd have tea in the garden, go to dinner parties and balls, you on my arm the entire time. I'd steal a kiss from you when no one was around. We'd sneak away together when ever we could, and just talk. "

His voice sounded dreamy, as if he was slipping further into sleep by the second.

Though sleep was trying to do the same to her, Nilin couldn't close her heavy eyelids. She watched him as if he was telling her a bed time story. "Then what?" she whispered.

"Then," he paused for a moment. "And then when the time was right, I'd go to your father and ask for his permission. Then I'd marry you." Damon sighed, his voice finally wavering out. "I'd marry you and take you away from this awful town. And we'd have children, lots and lots of children. And they'd have grandchildren and I'd live out the rest of my days comfortably by your side."

Nilin never understood why people wanted a life like that, she never got the appeal until Damon said it. Her outlook on life had always been bleak. She always figured it was a result of seeing her mother sick at such a young age. It was hard to think that there were things to live for after she died. That left Nilin with the impression that most people were just waiting around to die.

Even though he was two sheets to the wind and wouldn't remember any of this come morning, Damon managed to light something in the pit of her stomach. She laid there waiting for him to continue with the fairytale he was spinning, but the room grew quiet. The story was over, Damon had fallen asleep.

So she curled up closer to him, tucking her head in the crook of his neck.

"Damon?" she asked softly. "Are you awake?" He remained silent next to her. "Do you miss being human?" she asked his slumbering form. "Because I do," she whispered. "I don't even know if I can spend eternity with you. I don't remember, but, god, I want to." Nilin admitted.

This was her biggest fear. She had gotten lost in Damon as he was drunkenly dreaming aloud the impossible. Now reality hit her. They'd never be an old married grey couple, with grandchildren sitting in their laps. Nilin could live with that, she was able to get over that fact. After all, she did have him by her side.

What they were was an angel and a vampire, heaven and hell. That was they're life; uncertainty and fear, but also safety and happiness. For the first time, Nilin realized she was loved and that it was okay to love. Even though questions gripped her heart and hell was practically clawing at their feet, it was okay.

"I love you, Damon. I really do," she whispered, finally allowing her eyes to close.

* * *

Nilin was in that half asleep, half awake stage when the morning light filtered into her room. She was faintly aware of the arm that was draped over her stomach and that her legs were tangled with someone else's. She was happily content in that state until she heard her bedroom door open and her floor boards creak. Her eyes snapped open immediately.

As Nilin lifted her head she saw a furious Elena standing at the foot of the bed, arms crossed, jaw locked and head shaking back and forth. Before Nilin could say anything, Elena turned on her heels and shot out of the room. "Shit," Nilin cursed under her breath as she detangled herself from the still passed out Damon and ran after her sister.

"Elena," Nilin called flying down the hallway. As Nilin made it to her doorway, Elena was about to slam the door in her face but Nilly pushed her way in. "Elena, I know that looked really bad."

"Really, Nilin?" Elena glared at her. "We've talked about this." She was furiously shoving things into her backpack.

"Elena, wait."

"No, Nilin." Elena stopped her. "You know how I feel about Damon. I'm trying to be tolerable with you two but we had a deal, Nil."

"Oh don't even!" Nilly threw her hands up.

"The deal was that Stefan and I would leave you and Damon be if you just followed some simple rules." Elena chastised her as if she was a child.

"You gave me a _curfew_, Elena." Nilin said. "You really thought I was serious about all those regulations? I was just trying to get you off my back by agreeing to them. I had a mother, I don't need another one."

"Maybe you do. We're all worried that you and Damon have gotten a little too… close," she said, her eyes drifting down to Nilin legs. Warmth rushed to Nilin cheeks when she realized she had never put any pajama pants on. Looking down at her bare legs, she pulled at the oversized t-shirt.

"Nothing happened last night," she tried to tell Elena.

"Oh, don't bullcrap me." Elena shot back.

"I'm serious!" Nilin pushed.

"I just found you in bed with Damon Salvatore and nothing on but a shirt." Elena motioned to Nilly's choice of PJs. It probably didn't help that it was one of Damon's shirts that she was wearing. Nilin had stolen it from him the last time they had a secret sleepover. "You're going to stand and tell me nothing happened?" Elena assumed, throwing her back over her shoulder.

"Jesus, Elena. You can't seriously be doing this right now. Stefan sleeps over all the time!" Nilin had to force her voice to remain below a shout. She didn't need anyone else walking in on this.

"Stefan hasn't attempted to kill any of the people in this house," her eyes narrowed.

Nilin let out an exaggerated groan, covering her face with her hands. "When will you stop holding that over our heads?"

"When Damon proves that he's truly changed," she answered, walking over to her closet and slipping on a pair of converse. "From what I gathered yesterday, he's hasn't."

Nilin raked her fingers through her curly hair and gritted her teeth. "You want to know what really happened last night, Elena?"

"Yes, please. Don't spare any steamy details," she replied sarcastically.

"He came over to check on me last night, unlike you." Nilin said bluntly. She saw Elena's attitude dissipate immediately. "I was so sick and drained that I had thrown on whatever I could and crawled into bed. When he came over I was already half asleep. He watched over me." Nilin told her. She obviously left out the part where Damon was completely shit faced and out of it.

Elena had pursed her lips, not able to look Nilin in the eye. "I'm sorry," she finally whispered. "I should have made sure you were okay after everything that happened yesterday."

"Yeah, you should have," was all Nilly responded with.

"I was just freaked out a little, and I didn't know how to handle the situation. I wasn't sure what to say to you, and I thought you would want to be left alone anyway. I really am sorry, Nilin."

"And I understand. If roles were reversed I wouldn't know what to do either." Nilin shrugged. "You really need to loosen up with me and Damon. You should trust us by now."

"I still find it very hard to put any trust in him, Nilin. It's not that I don't trust you, it's just…" her voice trialed off.

"It's just what?" Nilin pushed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I don't like the idea of you two all alone together," she mumbled.

"Elena," Nilin groaned. "Seriously? What do you think he would do?"

"I don't know! It's Damon!" she threw her hands up.

Nilin shook her head. "I'm not going to stand here and defend him anymore, because you'll never get it through your head but you are wrong, Elena," Nilly shot at her before she left the bedroom.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

So this was a kind of bitter sweet chapter. It was more of a sentimental one, you know, covering those conversation that are bound to happen. This was a fluff chapter, I hope you liked it. Tell me what you think guys! Thank you so much!

_**Favorite, Follow & Review!**_  
RLS

**Get the Song:**

Heaven Nor Hell by Volbeat

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=HXEfoGLJ7fY


	12. Vampire Smile

**Chapter Twelve: Vampire Smile **

_Baby you need to leave, 'cause I'm getting drunk on your noble deeds  
It doesn't matter that they don't get done, when I feel this cold they're like the fucking sun  
Baby I need a friend, but I'm a vampire smile, you'll meet a sticky end  
I'm here trying not to bite your neck, but it's beautiful  
__And I'm gonna get so drunk on you and kill your friends  
__You'll need me and we can be obsessed and I can touch your hair and taste your skin  
__The ghosts won't matter 'cause we'll hide in sin._

_~Kyla la Grange_

She heard Elena calling after her, but kept walking. Her blood was boiling because of that conversation. Her head felt fuzzy with anger. Nilin hated the way Elena speculated those things, the way she spoke about Damon, the way she looked at Nilin. Elena looked at her as if Nilin had been dropped on her head and hadn't been quite right ever since. Like she was just some disgruntled youth that didn't have enough common sense to think for her self.

There was some truth to that though. Nilin never thought for her self, she was always too busy thinking about everyone else. She was too busy worrying about what Elena and everyone else would think of her to actually do anything worth the trouble. The fact the Elena wouldn't even give her the benefit of the doubt left Nilin fuming.

Right as she was about to open her bedroom door, Jenna came up the stairs."I take it you're not going to school today?" she asked, motioning to Nilly's PJs.

Nilin shook her head. "No, if it's okay. I'm still not feeling too hot."

"That's fine, sweetheart," her aunt said, coming over and placing a hand on Nilin's cheek like the night before. "You still feel a bit warm. Just take the day off and relax. I'll come by on my lunch break to check up on you, okay?"

"Thanks, Jenna." Nilin gave her a small smile. Jenna gave her a kiss on the cheek before rounding up Jeremy and Elena and heading back downstairs. Finally Nilin went back into her room, _locking_ the door behind her this time.

"Skipping school, are we?" she heard Damon ask behind her. She turned to find him lounging on her bed, head perked up by his arm.

She made her way over to the bed."Well, look who's finally awake. How are you feeling after a night of drinking your feelings away?" Nilin asked with her own little grin.

His eyes narrowed at her. "You're going to lecture me about drinking my feelings away?"

"Oh, calm down. I'm just joking. At least I don't sneak into your house at night, drunk off my ass and nostalgic." she said, crawling across the mattress to him.

"Nostalgia is a dirty liar that insists things were better than they actually were," he said with a smirk on his lips. It made Nilin wonder if he actually remembered anything from their conversation last night. "Besides," Damon continued. "You should take that as a compliment. You were the person I was thinking of when my brain wasn't functioning properly," his lips perked up into a toothless smile.

"Awe, how romantic," she shook her head. Damon just chuckled a little before pulling her on top of him. She looked down at him, her hair cascading around their faces. His hands rested on her lower back as he looked up at her with a strange expression.

"What?" Nilin asked in a small voice.

"Nothing," he said. "I'm just happy."

Nilin couldn't help but smile. "Despite everything that's happened?" she wondered.

"Despite everything," Damon told her. "I hope I didn't get you into too much trouble," he added.

"Ah, you heard that little spat." Nilin nodded, taking some weight off his chest by bracing her arms on either side of his head.

Damon reached up softly to brush the hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. "Why do you insist on defending me all the time?" he wondered.

Nilin gave him a little shrug. "Because, you deserve more than people give you," she tried to explain.

He just snorted as if what she said was ridiculous. "Nilin Gilbert, always digging the slivers of good out of people," Damon mumbled to himself.

Nilly locked her jaw. He could be so belligerent sometimes. "Well you know me, with every heartbeat I have left, I will defend your every breath," she promised him.

Damon laughed, flipping them over so that he was hovering over her. He was just a breath away. For the first time, Nilin noticed how dark his eyes were.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nilin asked as her fingertips traced down his cheek. His skin looked dull and tired. "You look…"

"Thirsty?" he finished her sentence, a smirk playing on his lips. "I've been a little busy with more important things lately." He nipped at her fingers that were running across his skin.

Nilin brushed her thumb under his bottom lip, dodging his attempt to bite it. "I'm sorry," she whispered while an image of Damon's mouth stain red popped in her head.

A strange feeling came over her as she thought of Damon feeding on some random girl. She should feel repulsed by the whole idea of vampirism, but instead she felt… possessive? "Maybe you should go…" she couldn't finish her sentence again.

"Refuel?" he asked. "I think I'll survive for a few more hours." Damon said, leaning down towards her. The color of his irises was nearly pitch black, but before Nilin could pay more attention to it their lips came crashing together. His fingers interlocked with hers on either side of her head, holding her in place.

"Wait," Nilin breathed. "Are they still home?"

Damon chuckled. "They're pulling out of the driveway as we speak," he told her, kissing her neck. "There is no one around," he smirked before returning his lips to hers.

Nilin smiled, pulling her one hand out from under his and running her fingers through his hair and down his neck as the intense need to touch him came over her. Their kisses were rough and desperate, fueled by pent up emotions that had been rolling around for the past 24 hours. It was like a fist hitting drywall, that satisfying sting accompanied by a dull ache. Everything they did was volatile, neither of them knew how to be gentle.

A low growl emanated from the back of Damon's throat as Nilin bit down on his bottom lip. His hand began to travel down her body, leaving goosebumps in its tracks. She felt it slip under shirt and explore her flat stomach. Nilin's hands found their way to Damon's hair again, pulling at the raven locks.

"This is exactly why they don't want us alone together," she gasped against his lips.

He smirked against her mouth as his fingers played with the elastic band of her underwear. "What our siblings don't know won't hurt them." Damon shrugged.

With that Nilin couldn't say another coherent word as his mouth attacked hers again. Her slim fingers slipped between them and she attempted to unbutton the pesky shirt he still had on. She quickly discarded the thing, tossing it over the bed and pulling him closer to her.

She started feeling lightheaded and had to tilted her head to the side just the slightest, breaking their lips part from a moment so she could breathe. Damon was a vampire though, he didn't need to take a breather. His mouth traveled down her jaw to her neck. He placed bruising kisses on her pulse point, right where her blood surged under the skin.

A moan slipped out of Nilin's mouth as he started to nibble at the skin there. "You know, you don't have to wait," Nilin gasped out, not even realizing what her words meant until they were out of her mouth. Damon did though. Her hands, which had been exploring the sculpted lines of his chest, were suddenly pinned next to her head.

"You shouldn't suggest things you don't mean," he told the skin on her neck, his face still buried there.

A gasp escaped Nilin's mouth when she felt the sharp point of a fang scrape against her skin. If he couldn't hear her frenetic heartbeat before, he definitely could now. There was a moment of panic the shot through Nilin. The involuntary reaction her brain caused, throwing her backwards into darker memories from her time before Mystic Falls. Quickly, she dispersed it using the trick Mags had taught her yesterday. She cleared her mind, feeling the emotions of present time and not the past. This was Damon, he loved her. That didn't stop her chest from heaving underneath him though, but the more she focused on Damon, the more Nilin calmed down.

"And what if I do mean it?" she challenged, her voice breathy.

She'll admit it, in some ways this was spiteful move on her part. If Elena was going to convict Nilly for nothing, why not actually give her a reason. Nilin was tried of caring, there were too many other things to worry about— Damon and Nilin shouldn't be one of them. For once, Nilly was going to make a decision on her own accord.

Yes, she was acting on an impulse, but it wasn't as if this just popped into her head two seconds ago. Nilin had always wondered what it would be like with Damon. Her only experience with this part of vampirism involved dark hazy memories of Christian— and those were usually filed away under near death experiences.

She wondered if it was always that painful and terrible.

His body had grown rigid, but he was chuckling. It wasn't a laugh to clam her nerves, that was for sure. She could feel his raspy breath against her neck. It made it hard for her to talk.

Slowly, Damon pulled away, his hands still pinning her wrist down on either side of her head. Nilin felt her heart hammering in her chest as he looked down at her. Blood had seeped into his eyes, dull blue veins snaked out under them. His hair stuck up in all different directions and his cheeks were flushed. Viciously sharp fangs poked out from between his scarlet lips.

Nilin stared up at him, her eyes widening. This was definitely a test for her. She had to remind herself that this was Damon, and that he cared about her— loved her — immensely. This wasn't one of the monsters that crept in the shadows of her nightmares. This was Damon, her Damon. Not Christian or anyone else. Just Damon.

She'd never seen a creature as terrifying or as mesmerizing as him. Nilin knew he was trying to spook her, but all that she could think was how striking he was. "Damon, I mean it," she clarified, standing her ground. His grip loosened on her, and Nilin managed to slip her wrist out of his hold.

Cautiously, she brought her hand up and laid it on his cheek. Her fingers traced the veins under his eyes. Then they traveled down and followed the outline of his lips. The entire time he watched her, his breathing hard and uneven.

"Scary, isn't it?" he smirked down at her.

"I've seen worse," Nilin mumbled as she slowly brought his head down towards her and pressed her lips against his. It was for a moment and then she pulled away again. They locked eyes. "What does it feel like?" she whispered.

He took several deep breaths before he could compose himself enough to answer. Slowly his features were beginning to return to normal. "Like someone's rammed a hot poker down my throat," he said, with a grin. "Since the first night I saw you in the Mystic Grill, you've been killing me slowly." He seemed to chuckle a little as if that had been an inside joke with himself.

"Well, at least I'm not the only," she told him with a slight smile, watching the last of the red disappear from his eyes.

"It's like my own personal civil war," he explained. "There's the monster and there's the human. You've grabbed a hold of the human enough to push the monster away, but at the moment he wants to rip your throat out," Damon managed to say with a smirk.

"I have that much influence, huh?" she asked him sarcastically, but there was a waver in her voice that gave away her nerves.

He smirked for a moment, but then grew serious with her. "I never wanted to scare you away." Damon explained, running his pointer finger along her jaw line.

"I'm not scared now," Nilin said, slipping her other wrist out of his grip and linking it with the one behind Damon's neck.

He stared down at her, the war clearly raging on. He tried to pull away from her, but Nilin didn't let him. "You're not ready for that, Nilin," he finally spoke. She knew what he meant. He was afraid that Nilly would lose touch again and something would end up crispy.

"I'm here, Damon," she told him. "I know what's going on, I know who you are and I know that I love you. That's how I know that I'm here." Nilin smiled a little, seeing his lips perk up. "I'm getting better, despite yesterday's freak accident."

"Nilin," he pushed.

"Damon," she mimicked. "Don't tell me that you're getting all soft and moral over little old me."

His eyes narrowed because of her teasing. "How can someone be so irritating and sexy at the same time?" he wondered.

"It's a learned trait," she answered. "Listen to me, you're hungry and you're hurting because I'm an incompetent supernatural that demands your attention every waking moment of every day. The least I can do is make it up to you by tapping into a vein."

"Nilin," he went to protest but she rolled her eyes.

"Just do it," she told him. Her eyes flashed to his parted lips as she bit her bottom one nervously. She shot her eyes back up to his. "I trust you," she told the both of them.

He didn't say anything, and Nilin thought she had done something wrong, but in the next moment, he crashed his lips into hers. Nilin gasped against his mouth as an electric shock bolted through her. He was putting everything he has into that kiss, and she didn't let him off the hook either.

Her hands cupped his face and pulled him closer to her, as he pressed her into the bed. Nilin's knees brushed against his hipbone. She gave a little roll to her own hips as her hands ranked down his back, egging him on.

They both were breathing hard when Damon pulled away for a moment. "I love you, Nilin Gilbert," he told her, not a breath away. Those words interlocked with her name made her heart skip a languid beat in her chest. Before she could manage to mumble out a response, Damon dipped his head to her neck.

Nilin closed her eyes as she felt him place a kiss on to the skin there.

"Are you sure?" he said, giving her one last out. She couldn't speak, so she just nodded. "I need you to relax then, Nilin," he chuckled against her skin.

She let out shaky breath and unstiffened her muscles slowly, one by one. Damon's lips moved to her ear. "Don't worry, I'm going to do this right," he promised and Nilin felt his hand slip down her stomach. She let out a gasp as he body began to burn under his touch.

Right when Nilin thought it couldn't get any better, Damon's mouth returned to her neck. His fangs brushed against her skin again and Nilin shuddered in suspense. Then he bit down. His razor sharp teeth broke through her skin with a pop. He let out a noise of pure satisfaction, making her skin tremble. It stung only for a moment but as blood began flowing and the pain was completely forgotten.

Nilin's body hummed in delight. The feeling was something she'd never experienced before. She could feel Damon everywhere around her. She could feel everything he was feeling; love, protection, possession, wonder. These emotions flew through her as he slowly fed.

It was a clean and controlled process. He took his time, making little noises that resonated from the back of his throat. This was so new to her. It excited every cell in her body. Her eyes were closed and slow gasps escaped her mouth as he drank. Her mind was being pulled in too many directions. She didn't realize that Damon had stopped until she felt his tongue run over the area a few times.

He pressed his lips to her neck once more before pulling away from her. Then she felt him kiss each one of her eyelids. A smile broke out on her face as she opened them. "See, I told you it wouldn't that bad," she breathed out in an attempt to be funny. But her heart was still hammering and her chest was still shuddering with bliss, causing Nilin to sound out of breath.

She noticed that Damon was having trouble returning his breathing back to normal as well as he made a sound that she guessed was a chuckle. He kissed her again, before falling over on the bed next to her. A content sigh escaped his mouth and his hands quickly found her and pulled her against his bare chest.

"Thank you," he whispered into the top of her hair. Nilin nuzzled closer into him. She peeked up to find him with his eyes closed and a soft smile on his lips.

Her breathes were still coming out short but she managed to quote Virginia Woolf. "One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well," she mumbled lazily.

Damon shook his head, chuckling a little. He pulled her closer, nipping at her shoulder. Before she spoke again, Nilin waited for her body to calm down. When it finally did, she rolled onto her back, using his outstretched arm as a pillow. "I'm gonna take a shot here and say that, that doesn't usually feel like that."

Damon laughed next to her, vibrating the bed. "You'd be right then."

"Any mystical reason for that?" she wondered.

"Not entirely sure," he answered her honestly. "There are stories of when vampire's feed off of certain people that they're connected to, things like that happen. It's like a mental link is formed for that split moment."

"Whatever it was, I liked it." Nilin mumbled. She felt him move and lifted her head up a little so he could slip his arm out from under it. Her head fell back on to the bed as she closed her eyes.

Damon shifted on to his side besides her as he ran two fingers over her neck. "Well, look at that," he murmured to himself. Nilin cracked an eye open. "You're not even bleeding anymore," he continued in wonder.

"I guess we can add that little talent to the list," she said. She was too happy right now to decide whether she should be concerned about it or not.

She felt Damon kiss her cheek. "Mmm, I do adore you so Nilin Gilbert." Damon hummed.

Her smile widened.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Okay, I'll admit it. This was another fluff chapter. When I wrote these I was just feeling really mushy and gushy, so I guess the romance of that showed up here. I hope you guys like it. This was a short one that tied in with the last so that's why I'm posting it so soon. Its just a quick, sweet read, trust me, there aren't going to be many of those soon. Thank you, again guys. Please review and let me know if you like this kind of stuff or not.

**FAVORITE, FOLLOW & REVIEW**

RLS

**Get the Song:**

Vampire Smile by Kyla La Grange (_This song is one of my favorites. I strongly suggest you check it out, and also her other ones. They just fit with TVD_)

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=BNNEKKacUZQ


	13. Out of Breath

** Chapter Thirteen: Out of Breath**

_Forgive me, forgive me if I seem alarmed  
I had a motionless moment, no harm's done  
You see right through a million words that I wrote  
Built up mountains of shrapnel  
I've made my mind up, my mind up  
Because the line drawn in the sand's wrong_

_~Silversun Pickups_

If it wasn't obvious, their extracurricular activities were kept a secret, especially after the little shot Elena took at Nilin. There was no need to add more fuel to the fire. She spent the rest of her 'sick' day with Damon. It was one of the best days she had since all of this madness started up.

Nilin had proposed the idea of her never going back to school ever again. Damon convinced her to do otherwise though, promising that things would get better. She didn't know how he could make that promise but he did and she would hold him to it.

That meant that the next morning, she had to untangle herself from Damon reluctantly and get ready. He dropped her off, assuring to pick her up after school. With a kiss to her forehead, he reached over and opened the passenger side door for her. Nilin groaned but got out of his car anyway. There was a sick feeling churning in her gut as she made her way up the concrete steps.

The thought of going back to Mr. Carter's class was nauseating. She didn't know if she could last the period let alone the rest of the school year, but it might be too far into the year to get her schedule changed.

Nilin went to the main office of the school to drop off her excuse note. She handed it to the elderly secretary behind the desk. The woman smiled up at her and thanked her.

"Um, do you know who I could talk to about getting my classes switched around?" Nilin asked the secretary after a moment.

"Hmm, well honey, it might be too late for that. But what did you say your name was?" she said, toying with something on her computer screen.

"Nilin Gilbert," she answered. "I was wondering if I could switch my first period around."

"Ah, yes," the secretary mumbled. "Here we go," she pulled something up on the computer. "Well it says here that your schedule was already changed, your first period is no longer Behavior and Psychology with Mr. Carter. You now have a free period instead."

"What? No, wait. That can't be right." Nilin said. "I need the credits from that class to graduate."

The secretary clicked around some more. "Looks like it's all been taken care of, your credits are cover for that class," she looked up at Nilin behind her thick framed glasses.

Nilly's eyebrows pulled together. "That's impossible," she mumbled.

"Anything for his angel," the secretary suddenly said mechanically. And it all clicked together. Damon. He must've taken care of all this before she even got here. The Salvatores were always good on their promises.

She kept herself from shaking her head and letting out a huff. Instead she just smiled at the lady. "I see, thank you ma'am." Nilin said, going to leave.

"It's strange though," the woman continued to talk.

Nilly turned around again. "What is?"

"Well, Mr. Carter resigned out of the blue yesterday after his final class. He nulled his contract with the school and everything."

"Did he say why?" Nilin asked.

"He said he needed some time off to think about how he treated his students," the secretary answered with a sigh. "He seemed like a good teacher, though none of the other teachers really liked him much. But you didn't hear that from me," she winked.

Nilin gave a little smile and nodded. "Thank you again," she said, before turning on her heels and leaving. Not only did Damon change her classes around, he also bullied her ex-teacher into quitting. He was something else.

Once out in the hallway she sent a quick text to him.

**_To: Damon_**

_You know you can't compel my way through High School, right?_

A minute later her phone vibrated with a reply.

**_To: Nilin_**

_One thing they don't teach in school anymore, how to say thank you._

_You're welcome, angel._

Nilin shook her head, a smile on her lips, and she slipped her phone back in her pocket. Since she had a free period now, she went to the library to try and get as much work done as she could. She had makeup tests in her next two classes and by the time fourth period came along Nilin felt as if her brain had turned into mush.

Fourth period was her English class though, one of her favorites. She had Ms. Lindee for American Literature and she was the complete opposite of Mr. Carter. Ms. Lindee was in her late thirties. Her red curly hair was just starting to shine with a bit of silver and she had crow's feet at the corners of her green eyes but her personality was much younger than her age.

She usually wore long skirts that touched the floor and gold bangles on her wrists. She was a very slender and pale woman. Her glasses always seemed to be slipping down to the tip of her thin nose as she taught class.

Nilin loved Ms. Lindee's class. She kept her students alert and interested. On top of that, she was just simply a sweet, kindhearted woman. She'd talk with Nilly often, either before class started or even when it was over. She'd just call Nilin over to her desk just to ask her how her day was or what book she was reading now. Of course Ms. Lindee knew Nilin's story, but she never looked at Nilin like other people did.

She had actually been a close friend of her mother, they had worked together.

Nilin walked into class early, and saw Ms. Lindee sitting behind her desk, nose in a book. She looked up when Nilly entered. "Nilly," she smiled. "You're back, how are you feeling?" she asked, standing up.

"Better," she answered. "I think it was just one of those 24 hour bugs that I caught."

"Mmm, yeah. I heard that was going around. Abigail was sick with one last week," Ms. Lindee said. Always bringing up her nieces, she adored them. She had five, but no children of her own. "She's back to full health now, of course."

"That's good," Nilin smiled "How are the girls?" she asked, sitting down in one of the desk. Her teacher came over and sat in the one next to her, crossing her legs under the long navy blue skirt she wore today.

"Oh, they're a handful, but I love them," she chuckled a little. "Little Lyndsey is turning six this weekend. But what about you, Nilin? How are you doing?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Uh, good. I mean it's been a really weird transition back into Mystic Falls, but I think I'm starting to get back into the swing of things." Nilin told her. "No offense, but I just really want to get out of high school as soon as I can."

Ms. Lindee laughed, placing a hand on Nilly's knee. "None taken," she smiled. "Your mother and I were the same way, did everything we could to get out of here as fast as possible. And look what happened," she motioned around her classroom. "We both ended up right back here."

Her mother had been a long time teacher at Mystic Falls Elementary School. She taught second graders. Ms. Lindee had worked there too, but took a job in the High School shortly after Nilin's mother died.

"Yeah, but you're an amazing teacher who crafts the minds of us hopeless youths." Nilin explained.

"Oh Nilly, no one's hopeless. Someone will always fight for someone. People who seem forlorn just haven't found that one right person who won't give up on them."

Nilin smiled. This is why she loved talking to Ms. Lindee. "I'm going to quote you one day," she sighed, leaning back in the desk chair.

"Just make sure it's on one of your college research papers that you're sure to get an A on, got it?" she said, standing up from the desk. The bell had rung and more students were trickling into the classroom. Nilin took her usual seat in the back corner and searched through her bag, trying to find a pen to write with. She found a blue one at the bottom of the bag and pulled it out, but it went flying out of her hand and rolled across the floor.

Sighing she went to lean over to grab it but someone beat her to it. Her head snapped up. "We have to stop meeting like this," Finch said as he smiled at her, her blue pen in his outstretched hand.

She took it from him. "Ah, Dimples. I remember you," a smile spread across Nilin's face. "Correcting my clumsiness again, thanks."

"You're welcome," he chuckled as he took the seat next to her. "So, I didn't know you were in this class, you haven't been here in a couple of days."

"Yeah, stomach bug," Nilin repeated. "Don't worry I'm not contagious, I swear."

He laughed at her awful attempt to be social. Her body seemed to grow warm, but it must have just been from embarrassment.

"It's okay, I don't get sick much anyway. Immune system of steel," he winked.

Nilly smiled. "So, how are you liking your first few days in Mystic Falls High School?" she asked as the last of the students took their seats.

"Well, this is definitely a small town school," he answered, running his hand through his wavy hair.

Nilin nodded. "Yeah, it takes some getting used to. But I'm telling you, you showed up just in time. Fall is the best time of year around here."

"Well, I guess you'll just have to show me then," he said, leaning towards her. Nilin just nodded like a bumbling buffoon. The way his strange eyes sparkled and that half grin he gave her made her words get lodge in her throat. She'd never been skilled at talking to other people.

Luckily, she didn't get another chance to make a fool out of herself as Ms. Lindee began class. She started with her normal grammar warm ups, drilling the class with the difference between parodies, paradoxes and satires. The pale nymph like woman sat on the top of her desk in the corner of the room, her flowing skirt fanning over the edge.

"I want to hear your favorite quotes. From anyone, they don't have to be involved in American Literature, just a quote that you've carried with you. Let me hear 'em," she beamed, opening up the floor.

Hands began to raise. One person recited Vincent Van Gogh, "Normality is a paved road: It's comfortable to walk but no flowers grow on it."

"Ah, yes!" Ms. Lindee chimed. "Individuality, let your true self shine through. I, for one, am very good at that," she winked and the class chuckled. "What else?"

"I was thinking about the word "handle" and all the unholdable things that get handled," one of the guys in the front row with his hand in the air added.  
"John Green, someone from this century, alright I like it," Ms. Lindee nodded. She asked if anyone had thoughts on that quote. A few girls spoke up, saying how they didn't understand it and of course Ms. Lindee patiently took the time to explain it to them.

"How about you, Mr. White?" she asked. "You've been quite quiet since you've joined us. Why don't you share something with us?"

Finch sat up in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked down at the desk. "I'm not sure if I have anything really insightful to share."

"I never asked for you to be insightful, just for you to share," Ms. Lindee told him, folding her hands in her lap.

His eyes looked around the room, attention was on him. He gave one final glance at Nilin and almost shrugged before he recited. "I do not fear death. I had been dead for billions and billions of years before I was born, and had not suffered the slightest inconvenience from it."

"Mark Twain, right?" Nilin asked.

"Yeah," he answered, those dimples showing from the half grin he gave her.

"Very good, Nilly and well done Finch. Mark Twain happens to be one of my favorite authors." Ms. Lindee said. "Five extra points on the next test." The classroom buzzed with laughter again. Ms. Lindee often rewarded extra points whenever one of her students pleasantly surprised her.

"Now, Nilin, I'd like to hear one from you," she insisted.

Nilly bit the inside of her cheek trying to think of something. She ran her fingers through her hair and thought for a moment. "And all I loved, I loved alone," Nilin quoted simply. She saw Finch watching her from the corner of her eye.

"Edgar Allen Poe, I could've guessed." Ms. Lindee smiled. "One of your favorite poets, I presume?"  
Nilin nodded. "I always was one for the dark and gothic."

"And there is nothing wrong with that," her teacher lectured. "Now, may I share one with you all?" she asked the class. They nodded in unison. Ms. Lindee cleared her throat. "The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid," she recounted. "Can anyone tell me who spoke those words?"

Whispered possibilities hummed around the classroom but no one was confident enough in their answer to speak up. "Come on, no one has any clue?" Ms. Lindee asked. The classroom shook with a no. Then it quieted awkwardly. After a moment a hand raised. "Yes, Finch?"

"I believe it was Jane Austen, ma'am," he answered.

A smile broke across Ms. Lindee's face. "Correct!" she sang. "Another five points. Now can someone tell me the satire found in that quote?" she asked, continuing on with her lesson.

Nilin leaned across the aisle a bit. "Very impressive," she smirked at Finch.

He shrugged. "What can I say? I like strong, candid women," he told her, nudging her side with his elbow. Nilin chuckled, warmth rushing her cheeks and straighten up in her desk again.

* * *

"There's no chance of Nilin walking in on this little secret pow-wow, right?" Magnolia asked as she looked around the stoner pit behind the school. "God, it smells like my freshman year of college," she mumbled to herself.

"Not a chance, I just saw her going to lunch on the other side of the school," Damon answered.

"So why are we here?" Shellie tapped her foot impatiently. "Some of us actually have classes to attend."

"Because we have an issue," Damon said, leaning up against the cement wall.

"I'm guessing this is about Nilin," they heard Stefan say as he and Elena came around the corner. Magnolia had taken a seat on the graffiti covered picnic table pushed to the corner, Elena walked over and sat next to her.

"Your hair's going to fall out if you don't stop stressing over this." Magnolia told her, feeling a bit nauseous.

"Can't help it," Elena laughed a little. "This stuff frays my nerves."

"Yeah, I know," Mags nudged her. "That's why we're having this meeting."

Shellie stood off to the side. "It's like an intervention, an angel intervention," she joked. Magnolia eyed her cousin wearily. Shellie was feeling uneasy, she was as on edge as Elena. She noticed how Shellie's eyes kept darting over to Damon. Strange, the only thing Shellie ever seemed to be anxious over was what outfit she was going to wear that day or if she was going to miss the latest Top Model episode.

"Clearly, Nilin is getting stronger," Stefan spoke up, pulling Magnolia's attention away from Shellie.

"And she doesn't know how to control it," Mags continued. "She just barely has a hold on this. She's pretty much a ticking time bomb at this point."

"Well, didn't she kind of go off the other day though?" Elena asked. "I mean, it sure looked like that."

"That was just a discharge, she has more power building up," Damon explained.

"Weird," Shellie mumbled.

"Care to share?" Damon asked, his eyes narrowing at the blonde girl.

"Well, don't combustive events usually need a catalyst to set off a reaction? Something to fuel that explosion?" Shellie asked, eyes locked on Damon.

Magnolia looked between the two of them. Emotions rolled off both seer and vampire. "Unless you two want me to vomit, knock it off," she demanded. "What is it that you're not telling us?"

"Nothing," Damon said quickly. "I believe your cousin here just has her facts mixed up."

"Yeah, nothing," Shellie answered. "That's just it. What were we saying?"

"Nilin, and her growing powers." Stefan paraphrased. "We need to do something about it soon."

Magnolia sighed, combing her fingers through her short hair. "This is starting to take a toll on her. We have all been pretending that if we don't acknowledge what happened actually happened, then it will all go away. We can't do that anymore."

Elena put her head in her hands. "It's been nearly two months and there's only a vague understanding of what happened to her at the end of August. She was gone for three day." Elena gritted through clenched teeth. "Three days we didn't know where she was, three days she spent with Christian. We have no idea what happened in those seventy two hours. And then she died," she continued. "She died, went to the other side and came back. Suddenly she wasn't dead anymore, but she wasn't human either. And all we got out of her was four cloaked figures that told her she had a job, that's all we have."

Magnolia realized this was Elena breaking down. Everyone had taken there turns with it, and this was hers. Mags stood up and grabbed Elena's shoulders. "Breathe, you need to calm down. I understand how hard this must be on you. She's your sister, you feel like you're losing her all over again. I get it, but having a mental break down behind the school isn't going to help her. You've been strong for this long, all I'm asking is for you to be strong for just a little longer. Okay? Can you do that, Elena?"

She nodded, taking in a deep breath and wiping a stray tear off her cheek. "Yeah," she whispered in a hoarse voice. "Yeah, I can do that."

"Thank you," Magnolia gave her a smile, already feeling Elena's emotions return back to normal. She stepped back, allowing Stefan to take over. He wrapped Elena in his arms and Magnolia felt even more at easy.

"We need a plan of action, or something." Shellie said, kicking a soda can across the ground. "I think Nilly has been going haywire lately because of everything that's been happening."  
"What do you suppose we do? Send her to a day spa? That's not going to fix this." Damon remarked.

Magnolia sat quietly at the picnic table as the other four bickered. She sighed, resting her chin on her hand and watching them go back and forth. It was like babysitting bratty children. They jumped down each other's throats, took low blows and blatantly ignored the actual topic of discussion.

"Alright, that's enough," she stood up. "No wonder Nilly has been out of her mind lately. If this is what I had to deal with constantly, I'd be insane too. Take those fingers you've been pointing at each other and shove them up your asses." Magnolia ranted. "I'm going to take Nilin away from here this weekend. I have a friend, who might know something about what's going on."

"What do you mean you're going to take her?" Damon asked, his eyes narrowed as he pushed off the wall. Magnolia didn't realize how protective he had gotten over Nilin until it hit her like a freight train. She felt the emotions crush her chest and had to take a moment to regain her breath.

"A girl's weekend away, a little TLC, maybe get a hold on all this. Get it?" Mags told him, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just tell me who this friend is and I'll take Nilin there myself," he countered, with a tight smirk on his lips.

Magnolia shook her head. "Nah, I think I can handle this one," she pushed. He took an intimidating step towards her, Mags took one towards him. "You don't scare me, vampire."

"And you're a pain in my ass, witch," he sneered back.

"Well, I won't be this weekend since I'm going on a road trip with Nilin," she glared at him.

He went to argue more but Stefan stepped in. "Damon, you're going to lose this one," he said, taking Magnolia's side.

"Nilin could use a few days away," Elena spoke up. "You know as well as I do that Mags can watch over Nilly. She's safe with her."

Finally Magnolia saw Damon step back. "Fine, this weekend," he allowed. "But if one curly brown hair is harmed on her head, witch, I will rip your throat out. Understand?"

"Yeah, yeah." Magnolia blew him off. "Tuck your fangs back in."

"So we'll give this weekend a try and then see what happens from there." Stefan said. "Maybe we can dig up something in the meantime."

"Sounds like a plan," Shellie chimed in. "Now, can we get back to class?"

"Sure, go. Meeting dismissed." Mags said as the three high schoolers left, leaving just Damon and her. "You, me. We need to talk. Now."

"About?" he asked, a bored look on his face.

"I know something happened the morning before Nilin went angel on that teacher's ass, and I think you have something to do with it." Mags interrogated.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Magnolia," he blew her off as he began to make his way to the parking lot.

She followed next to him. "Really? You're going to try and lie to me, Damon. I'm an empath, I can literally feel your guilt right now," she countered.

He froze at the door of his car and looked back towards her. "Fine," he hissed out slowly. "We'll talk, but not here. Get in the car." Damon ordered, before opening the driver's side door and sliding in to the seat. The Camaro roared to life and Magnolia quickly jumped in the passenger seat before Damon could drive off.

* * *

After class Nilin and Finch had gone their separate ways, but that wasn't the last she saw of him. As she took her usual seat for lunch, outside at a table near one of the tall trees in the schoolyard, she opened to the page she had left off in the book she was reading. A few pages later, her reading was interrupted as he came over and plopped his brown bagged lunch in front of her.

"Thank God, someone I actually know," Finch said as he took a seat. "Lunch these past days has been hell," he mumbled as he took a sip from his water bottle.

Nilin put her book down, raising her eyebrow. "I doubt a guy like you would end up eating lunch alone," she said, eyeing the good looking high schooler in front of her.

"That's the thing," he leaned towards her. "I haven't been left alone since I got here, it's completely maddening." Finch shook his head, popping one of her grapes in his mouth.

"Well then you've found the perfect company, I tend to repel normal human beings," Nilin explained, crossing her arms on top of the table.

"You haven't repelled me," he shrugged.

"_Ooo_, bad sign," Nilin shook her head. "Must be something wrong with you then."

Finch laughed. It was one of those contagious laughs, warm and enchanting, that made everyone else around chuckle. "I could have told you that," he winked at her.

Nilin smiled, "Yeah, welcome to the club."

"So, Nilly," he asked, leaning on his elbow. "What are the perks of being a club member?"

Nilin took up the same position as him, leaning on her elbow and titling her chin towards him. "Hmm… I'm not too sure, yet. I'm kinda making this up as I go along."

"Ahh," he grinned. "I like you, you're an honest one. Not many people like that around anymore."

"No, no there's not." Nilin laughed nervously.

"Whatcha reading?" he asked, reaching over and grabbing her book. "Shoot the Damn Dog," he read, "by Sally Brampton, how's she?" he looked up at her.

"Pretty good so far. She's insightful. You can borrow it when I'm done, you know, if you want," she offered.

"Sure," Finch smiled as he read the back cover. She hadn't known him for long, but she could already tell there was something different with Finch. The way he talked, it was old sounding and wise. It made Nilin curious to exactly what his back story was.

She rolled her shoulders uneasily, her shoulder blades had been tingling intensely.

"Everything okay?" Finch asked, placing her book back down. He was watching her closely. So, he was perceptive as well.

"Hmm? Yeah," she answered quickly. "Just a pulled muscle. Pretzel stick?"

He grinned, taking one from her outstretched hand. "Thank you."

"So, where'd you move from?" Nilly asked, taking a bite of her own pretzel stick.

"Uh, New York City," he told her. Nilin gaped at him.

"You left the city, New York City, to live here?" her eyebrows pulled together. "One question… Why?"

Finch laughed. "I needed to move in with my grandmother and help take care of her," he explained.

"Oh, wow. Sorry, I didn't know," she stumbled over her words. Not only was he good looking, he was a saint as well. Well, didn't she look like an ass.

"Nah, it's all cool. I needed a change of scenery anyway," he smiled.

Nilin found herself smiling back at him. She coughed awkwardly and sat up. "Well, you found it," she motioned to the out door patio around them.

"I think I can learn to like it here," he said, but his eyes didn't stray far from Nilin. She dropped her hands into her lap and swore he could tell she was blushing. "So, how about we go on the tour you promised me in English, since we have off tomorrow?" he offered.

"Yeah, we should— oh wait," Nilin frowned. She had a boyfriend— that was the correct word to use, right?— what was she doing? "I can't, I got this text last period from my one friend. Apparently we're going on a road trip tomorrow and I have no say in whether I want to go or not," she explained. Why did she use _that _excuse? She should have told him she was taken.

"Another time, then," Finch said nonchalantly, before plucking the apple she was about to take a bite out of from her hands. "I'll see you around Nilin," he winked before biting into her apple and walking away.

Nilin just watched his back as he walked back into the school, unsure of what just happened.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys, another week, another chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying this story, I'm not sure though... Can you do me a major favor and let me know though? That would be amazing. I hope everyone's week is going well and I'll see you soon.

_**Favorite, Follow & Review**_  
RLS

**Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_thirteen_nilin/set?id=133188962&lid=3742036

Ms. Lindee's Outfit: /chapter_thirteen_ms_lindee/set?id=133189028&lid=3742036

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_thirteen_magnolia/set?id=133190724&lid=3742036

Shellie's Outfit: /chapter_thirteen_shellie/set?id=133191945&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Out of Breath by Silversun Pickups

Youtube DOT com /watch?v=5ZBDv8HxqvI


	14. Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood

**Chapter Fourteen: Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood**

_Baby, do you understand me now sometimes I feel a little mad  
__But don't you know that no one alive can always be an angel  
__When things go wrong I seem to be bad  
__But I'm just a soul whose intentions are good  
__Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood  
__Oh baby don't you know I'm human have thoughts like any other one  
__Sometimes I find myself long regretting  
__Some foolish thing some little simple thing I've done_

_~The Animals_

"Promise me that you'll try your hardest not to get into any sort of trouble," Damon said as he shoved her bag into the trunk of Magnolia's car. He slammed the trunk closed and turned towards Nilin.

"Damon," she gave him a lopsided smile, laying her hands on his chest. "It's just a weekend trip. I'll be in the car for the most of it."

"Yeah," he sighed, cupping her face with his hands. "But knowing you, nothing's impossible."  
Nilin laughed. "You're probably right."

"Correction, I'm always right," he grinned and kissed her softly. Nilin's hands slid up and linked behind his neck automatically. The kiss deepened in response but was quickly cut short by someone impatiently clearing their throat.

"Do you two mind? I rather you not have sex on my car," Magnolia said, appearing next to them. She walked around them and threw her bag in the backseat of the car. "Ready to go?"

"Mmhm," Nilin smiled. She turned to Damon, pecking him quickly on the lips. "Don't worry too much, it'll be fine. I'll see you in two days," she promised before giving him one last smile and slipping into the passenger's seat.

That left Magnolia and Damon standing outside, neither looking too happy. "Quit looking at me like that," Damon said, narrowing his eyes.

"You know I've got your back most of the time, Damon, but I've got a problem with the way you've been doing things lately." Magnolia whispered, making sure Nilin couldn't hear.

"Oh, don't reprimand me, Magnolia. You know the story, all of it. So just take that information, tuck it away in that pretty little head of yours and keep your mouth shut. Got it?" he hissed.

"Yeah, I've got it. Loud and clear," Magnolia said, brushing past him and opening the driver's side door. "And don't stress over Nilin, she's in good hands," she said before ducking into the car. She didn't even bother to put her seatbelt on before she peeled out of Nilin's driveway and down the road.

Nilin, who had been toying with the radio, turned and looked at her. "Uh, what was that about?"

"That man of yours has a real knack for pissing people off," she grumbled as they made their way out of Mystic Falls.

"Tell me about," Nilin huffed as she settled on a station. An old song from the 70's was on. "So, what did Damon do this time?" Nilin asked. Her seat made a loud whining sound as she pulled the lever to recline it.

"It's nothing, forget about it." Mags said quickly. "The whole point of this trip is to get you away from all the drama, remember?"

"Right, right." Nilin laughed. "So how about you tell me where we're going?"

A smirk came to Magnolia's lips. "I'll tell you when I figure that out," she winked before turning the radio's volume up. She saw Nilin roll her eyes and lean back in the seat as they tore down the road, leaving Mystic Falls behind them.

* * *

Elena sat in her living room, laptop to her left, stack of papers to her right. On her lap sat the notebook she had been scribbling in, it was mostly useless information that she had dug up about her adoption. All of this led her straight into a dead end. Elena had been staring at the wall for the past half an hour trying to figure out what to do next.

Just then she heard the front door open and close. "Nil?" she called, looking towards the entrance.  
"Nope, just me," Jenna answered, popping her head in. Elena laid back on the sofa. "Guess Nilin left for that college visit with that Megs girl already," she said, walking over to Elena.

"Mags," Elena corrected. "Yeah, that's right," she kept up with their little cover story. "She'll probably be back tomorrow."

"Well I'm glad she let you know that," Jenna huffed, plopping down next to her. "So, what are you doing in here all by your lonesome?"

"Thinking," Elena sighed. She attempted to cover up the notebook but her aunt had already spotted it.

Jenna's hand reached out and snatched it off Elena's lap. "Ah, the adoption thing," she nodded. "I thought Nilin wasn't on board with this."

"She isn't, I am." Elena explained, taking back the notebook. Truthfully, Elena was focusing on this to distract herself from everything else that was going on. It worked, somewhat. "You said you'd do some digging on it. Did you find anything?"

Jenna let out a low sigh, before standing up. "I did, actually." She disappeared for a moment and came back into the room with her own laptop. "Your dad kept everything from his medical practice—records, logs, old appointment books. I found an entry from the night you two were born. Patient and a birth date. Isobel Peterson."

"Any chance that's her real name?" Elena asked.

Jenna gave her a tight lipped smile. "Pregnant teenage runaway? Probably not. First name, maybe. But where'd she get Peterson? Classmate? Best friend?" she asked rhetorically. "So I Sherlock Holmes-ed it. I searched for all the Petersons in this area born the same year as Isobel, found three; two men and a woman, Trudie, who lived in Grove Hill, Virginia," she explained, pulling up a file on her screen.

"That's not that far from here," Elena said, scooting closer to her aunt.

"It's not, and it gets better." Jenna smiled. She clicked on something and a picture appeared. "I give you Trudie and Isobel," she said as she shifted the laptop so Elena could see. On the screen was an old High School photo of two girls in cheerleading uniforms.

"So that's her," Elena mumbled to herself as she stared at the girl.

"Mmhm," Jenna nodded. "And my detective skills got even better. Turns out, Trudie still lives there. This is her address," she said, supplying a Post-It note with an address printed on it.

Elena took it, looking down at the piece of paper. "What about Isobel?"

Jenna bit her lower lip. "I couldn't find anything about her."

Elena felt her heart sink. This could easily be another dead end. Her aunt was quiet next to her. She looked up at Jenna, who was gnawing away at her lip. A bad habit her aunt and Nilin shared. "What is it?" Elena questioned.

"Listen." Jenna sighed. "There's something else. Mr. Saltzman… Ric, his wife was from around here, and her name was also Isobel."

"Wait," Elena's eyebrows scrunched together. "Was… as in…"

"She died." Jenna filled in the blank.

"Oh," Elena swallowed hard, looking back down at the Post-It. This was bringing up some unpleasant feelings from the past.

"I'm sorry, Elena. That's all I have," Jenna said, closing her laptop.

She sighed before smiling at her aunt. "It's more than I got. Thank you, Jenna. Really." Elena stood, gathering her things. "I'm going to go call Stefan," she said, giving Jenna a quick hug and dashing up to her room.

The phone call took two minutes, she asked Stefan to come over. He showed up a little while later to find Elena sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at the address.

"Hey," he smiled, causing Elena's lips to perk up. "What's up?"

"I think I found out who my birth mother is," she said in a small voice.

* * *

They had been on the road for a while now. The sky was beginning to dim as the sun dipped lower in the sky. The car ride had been interesting. They had raided a minimart a few miles into their trip, stocking up on Twinkies and Mountain Dew.

Their destination was north, to upstate New York. They had driven through Virginia and Maryland. When they finally hit the Pennsylvania broader, Magnolia pulled off the road to a hotel. "Alright, I'm beat and I need to make a few calls. Does this look good to you?" she asked Nilin as she threw her old Cadillac in park.

Nilly looked out the window to the generic motel. "As long as it has a bed and hot water I'm in."

"Good, I'll get us a room. Be right back," Mags said as she slipped out of the car.

Nilin got out too, but didn't follow. Her legs were stiff from sitting so long and her ass hurt. She took the time to stretch them out before leaning on the side of the car and pulling out her phone. Dialing the number quickly, Nilin tucked her cell to her ear and wrapped her arms around herself.

It was much colder up north in October. Goosebumps popped up on her arms and legs. The phone rang twice before there was an answer, "Want to come home already, huh, angel?" Damon's voice came from the other side.

Nilin rolled her eyes even though he couldn't see her. "No, I was just calling to say goodnight. We're crashing at some motel."

"Any idea where you're going yet?" he asked on a more serious note.

"Somewhere in New York, that's as much as I got out of her. I guess she has a friend that has a friend that has a friend who has an uncle who might know something about something… I think," she told him, a small smirk on her lips.

She heard Damon chuckle on the other line. "Sounds about right," he said. "Who knows maybe you'll actually get some answers out of this."

This time Nilin laughed. "I highly doubt it, but you never know. Any luck on your end?"

"Stefan managed to dig up some old grimoires. He and Elena are getting Bonnie to look through them for something to help with your memory. I'm confident that there's nothing in them." Damon told her.

"Always the noble pessimist, eh?" Nilin said with a smile on her lips.

"Hey, I'd like to think of myself as more of a realist," he corrected her. "Besides, I've got my own plan of action."

"Oh? And would you like to inform me on what that is exactly?" Nilin questioned as she shifted her weight.

"See if you were here, you'd already be informed…" he teased.

"Damon." He was definitely in a mood. Nilin could picture him right now, sitting in the boarding house's study, his feet propped up on the big wooden desk in there. There were probably books open all around him, even though he'd never admit to digging for answers in them. And who was she kidding, there was most likely a glass in his hand and a half full bourbon bottle in arms reach.

Then there was Nilin, who was worn out and cranky from her trip. She could already tell this wasn't a good combination.

"Fine, fine. Well, it turns out Alaric Saltzman's life might actually come in handy. His wife, who you think I killed, was a researcher at Duke University."

"I never said you killed her, I just said I wouldn't be surprised," she pointed out.

"Not the point," he huffed.

"Fine, so what is the point?"

"Well, she was a researcher of the supernatural kind. So, while you're off vacationing, I will be becoming buddy-buddy with your history teacher," he explained.

She stopped herself from yelling at him, forcing the air through her nose slowly before she spoke. "Damon, the man wanted to kill you no more than four months ago and now you're going to buy him a drink?"

"Or six, however many it takes for him to spill," he said and Nilin could hear the arrogant tone in his voice. She shook her head, looking around the dark parking lot.

"Just, please don't get yourself killed. Especially since I'm not even in the same state as you to rescue your cocky ass," Nilin asked, feeling the turn of anxiety in her gut.

"You shouldn't have left if you were so worried about me," Damon said.

She didn't know whether he was trying to be funny or if he was trying to antagonize her. Either way, Nilin was tired and she wasn't finding him humorous. "I was hoping that I didn't need to be around for you to do the right thing," she shot back.

Damon sneered. "I thought you'd know me better than that."

Her jaw tightened with his response. But luckily for him, Nilin had spotted Magnolia walking back to the car, waving a room key in the air. "Mags is back, I'll talk to you in the morning," she told him plainly.

"Be safe, Nilin." Damon warned, acting as if they didn't just strike nerves in one another. "And tell Magnolia I said hi and she better be taking good care of you or else I'll—"

"Goodnight, Damon." Nilin interrupted him before he could finish his threat. He was chuckling, but Nilin wasn't really in the mood anymore. "Sweet dreams," she mumbled before hanging up and slipping the cell into her pocket.

"Was that Dracula? What's he up to? Making little children and puppies tremble in fear?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, he only does that on Mondays," Nilin explained. "Tonight he's just being an asshole."

Magnolia burst into laughter as she pulled their bags out of the car. "Funny," she winked. "Now come on, there's a mini-fridge filled with overpriced liquor that have my name on them."

Nilin followed her through the motel. They were on the second floor, last room on the left. Mags swiped the room key and unlocked the door to reveal an average looking room with two beds, a TV and complimentary towels.

"You can shower first," Mags said. "I need to make a call or two," she explained, pulling her phone out and heading in the direction of the mini-fridge. Nilin didn't argue. She dropped her bag on one of the beds, pulled out her essentials and head for the tiny bathroom.

She took a quick shower, just scrubbing off the grime of their long day. Her conversation with Damon stuck with her. How could someone make her so angry in such a short amount of time? It was infuriating—_ he _was infuriating. Her anger melt away though and went down the drain with the rest of the water. Now she just wished she told him she loved him before she hung up.

When she got out of the shower, Nilly threw on a pair of sweats and a long sleeved shirt. She was born and raised in Virginia, she wasn't acclimated to these temperatures. Unlike Mags who, when Nilin walked out of the bathroom, was pacing back and forth in a pair of pajama shorts and the tank top she had been wearing.

"What do you mean there was a change of plans?" Magnolia bit out into the phone that was pressed against her ear. "You said—" she paused as if the person on the other line cut her off. "This is an important matter! Oh, don't you fuc—"

Nilin walked over and curled up on one of the chairs in the room. She watched Mags stalk back and forth. "Listen, I need this one favor for you then you'll never have to hear from me again. Sound like a deal?" she paused listening for an answer. "Fine, yeah."

Magnolia walked over to her bag and pulled out a crumbled piece of paper. She looked around for something to write with, but couldn't find anything. She settled for her eyeliner pencil. "Okay, say that again," there was another pause as she scribbled something down. "Yeah, thanks again. Have fun in San Francisco." Then she hung up the phone and flopped down on the other bed.

"You okay?" Nilin aksed.

"Peachy keen," she mumbled.

"May I ask what that was about?" Nilly pushed as she got up and sat on the bed across from Magnolia.

Mags sat up, leaning her elbows on her knees. "I was taking you to see this… acquaintance of mine that I've known for a long time now. She has some experience with things of higher and lower being, if you know what I mean." Magnolia explained, running her fingers through her short hair.

"What's your acquaintance's name?" Nilin asked, pulling her legs up on the bed and crossing them under her.

"Doesn't matter." Mags said. "What mattered was that she owes me a favor or two and I caught wind that she was in Manhattan for a little. She had originally agreed to meet with us after she finished up whatever she was doing in New York. Then she bailed, decided that going to California was a more urgent matter."

"Does that mean we're going to California than or...?" Nilin asked, her eyebrows scrunching together.

Mags shook her head. "No, we're not going to Cali," she answered. "Sorry to disappoint you kid, but I'd like to keep an entire country between her and me if that's okay. Don't worry though, this trip isn't a bust. After some coaxing and many verbal threats on my part, she gave me the name and location of a friend of hers that can help us out."

"So where are we heading now?" Nilly asked as Magnolia go up off the bed.

"Some town in Pennsylvania, we should make it there tomorrow. So get some sleep we're leaving early," she told Nilin before disappearing into the bathroom.

Nilly sighed and slipped under the hotel bed's covers. They were stiff, and smelt a little like mothballs. She missed Damon's big, soft bed. Still, she managed to fall asleep quickly, not even hearing Magnolia getting out of the shower.

* * *

Elena stared out her dark window, the sun had set hours ago. She and Stefan had been talking that long. "It can't be true, right? I mean, the coincidence alone is just crazy. How can it be possible that Alaric's wife might be my mother?" she asked, raking her fingers through her hair.

"When it comes to our life, nothing is just a coincidence alone," Stefan said as he sat on her window seat. Elena walked over, sitting next to him.

"I have the address for her friend Trudie," she told him, unfolding her hand to reveal the now crumpled paper.

"Are you thinking of talking to her?" he asked.

Elena sighed. "I don't know. I... I— don't know. If it's true and they are the same person, that means that my birth mother is dead, and I don't know if I could handle that. What would I tell Nilin?"

Stefan looked down at the ground, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Elena, did Jenna tell you anything about Alaric's wife? How she died?"

She shook her head. "Just that she was killed and the case was never solved." He didn't look up at her; nor did he seem to react to this information. Her eyebrows bunched together. "Wait, did you know this already?'

"I had talked to Alaric after Nilin had that freak out in school, he told me some things about her death," he started to explain. "What he told me though, it's not possible. The coincidence is—it's too much. Now, listen, if you do decide to go talk to Isobel's friend, I'll go with you. Okay?"

Elena sighed, rubbing her burning eyes with her knuckles. "I don't know what I'm going to do yet. I don't know if I should tell Nilin about this, or not. I just don't know, Stefan."

He gave her a small smile and ran his hand up and down her back, "Just leave it at that for tonight, in the morning you can figure it all out. And whatever you decide, I'll support you," he told her.

"Thank you, Stefan." Elena said, kissing him quickly.

"I should get going," he sighed, standing. "I gotta go deal with Damon."

"Uh oh," Elena groaned. "How bad?"

Stefan grinned, "Well let's just say Nilin better get back soon. There's something off with him, I didn't stick around long enough to ask."

She sighed, wrapping her arms around Stefan. "Maybe this whole thing is starting to get to him," she mumbled.

"Maybe," Stefan agreed. "I think we've been underestimating how deep Damon feels for Nilin," he said, running his hand over Elena's hair. "But then again, he did come to me the other night asking about Katherine."

Elena moved away to look up at him. "Okay, now that's something we definitely don't mention to Nilin. That right there has the possibility to throw her over the edge."

"I wouldn't get too worried about it," he assured. "I've been keeping a closer eye on him and that was the first and last indication that Katherine was on his mind. It might just have been a moment of nostalgia."

"Well, let's hope it stays like that." Elena said. "We just have to stick with one problem at a time."

"Good idea," he agreed as he kissed the top of her head. "I'll see you tomorrow." And with one last kiss good night and an I love you, Elena was alone. She was left with new information and unsure of what to do with any of it.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Chapter Fourteen! We're moving along! Hope you guys are having an amazing weekend. I know things are crazy and everyone's going back to school but thanks for sticking with me every updating and reading along. I really appreciate it. Remember to keep up that chatter, review and spread the word. Thanks guys!

_**Favorite, Follow & Review**_  
RLS

**Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_fourteen_nilin/set?id=133643617&lid=3742036

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_fourteen_magnolia/set?id=133643681&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood by The Animals

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=vstNm5xzuKM


	15. Evil Angel

**Chapter Fifteen: Evil Angel**

_Hold it together, birds of a feather  
__Nothing but lies and crooked wings  
__I have the answer, spreading the cancer  
__You are the faith inside me  
__No, don't leave me to die here  
__Help me survive here  
__Alone, don't remember, remember  
__Put me to sleep evil angel  
__Open your wings evil angel_

_~Breaking Benjamin_

For the life of her, Nilin couldn't tell where she was. There was just the constant stream of trees and cabins, a road sign would pop up every once and a while. It was like the Old Wood back in Virginia, but on steroids. They had been on the road for hours now. Magnolia had dragged her out of bed before the sun had even risen and pushed her in the car, hitting the road again.

Nilin laid her head against the cold car window as they drove through a little town. The people on the streets were bundled in coats and scarves, clutching their hats as the chilly end of October wind blew through the trees. The leaves on the trees were beautiful colors of orange, red, and yellow. It was absolutely gorgeous. Nilin wouldn't mind staying here for a little, but they had a task at hand and she had family back home.

She heard the crumbling of paper and a curse from next to her. Magnolia had a candy bar hanging out of her mouth as she fumbled with a map and tried to keep the car on the road. "Need some help?" Nilly offered.

"Nope, I've got it," she said, causing the chocolate bar to fall out of her mouth. "Dammit," she muttered.

Nilin just laughed and turned her attention back to the scenery. Mags managed to sort herself out and correctly navigate through the narrow streets that seemed to have been pushed to the max with traffic.

Nilly toyed with the radio, trying to get a clear station when her phone went off. She turned and reached in the back seat, wrangling it out of her bag. "Hello?" she answered, holding her cell to her ear.

"Hey, Nil," Elena sighed on the other line.

"Elena? Everything okay?" Nilin asked, sitting up in the passenger seat.

"Yeah," she gave a halfhearted laugh. "Actually, no. I did something, Nil."

Nilin groaned. "Please tell me no one is dead and our house is in one piece."

"Yeah, yeah. That's all good." Elena assured. "You remember that whole us being adopted thing and how I wanted to find our birth parents and you didn't. Then there was a whole fight and you stormed off?"

"I remember that clearly," Nilin said, listening more intently now. "I also remember telling you how much of a bad idea this was and how I wanted nothing to do with it."

"Well, like always, I didn't listen to you and I actually found something," her sister rambled on.

"Elena," she whined.

"Just please, hear me out. I need to tell you this," she begged.

With another groan, Nilin laid her head back on the seat. "Fine, what?"

"Well, we got the name Isobel. I had Jenna look through some things and she found the name and address of one of Isobel's friends, Trudie Peterson." Elena explained quickly.

"And nothing on Isobel?" Nilin questioned, biting into her lower lip.

"No, she couldn't find anything." Elena answered. "Jenna told me something interesting, though."

"Go on?"

"Alaric's wife, her name was Isobel."

"The one who died like two years ago?"

"Yeah, it turns out she lived around here." Elena told her.

The conversation went dead as Nilin processed all of this. "Wait, you don't think that Alaric's dead Isobel is our Isobel do you?" she tried to make sense of this.

"It might be a possibility," Elena huffed.

"It's kind of a stretch…" Nilly's sentence broke off as something hit her. If Isobel was the person Elena thought she was that meant she was Alaric's wife. The one Alaric basically accused Damon nearly three months ago of murdering.

"Nilin? Nil, you still with me?"

"Yeah, I'm here. What were you saying?" Nilly asked, trying to catch up and push her last thought out of her head. It was impossible. The coincidence was too much. Right?

"So, I went to the address and talked to Trudie," Elena continued. "And something weird happened."

"Like what?" she asked. The little voice in her head was chanting though. _Don't say the v-word, don't say the v-word, please, for the love of all that is holy, don't say the v-word._

"She knew about vampires." Fuck. Nilin's heart plummeted to her stomach. "She had vervain." Elena informed her. "It can't be a coincidence, she has to be tied to Alaric somehow."

"The universe is playing some sick, twisted joke on us, Elena," Nilin mumbled, processing. "I'm not finding it funny."

"Yeah, me neither." Elena laughed a little. "Listen, just come home as soon as you can and we'll figure this out, okay? Maybe you can get some more information out of Alaric and we'll finally have answers."

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, I'll be home soon," Nilly said, half paying attention. "I got to go, Elena. Talk to you later." She ended the phone call and slipped her cell back in her pocket.

"Everything okay?" Magnolia asked, looking at her from the driver's seat.

"I don't know yet," Nilin told her truthfully. Could Damon have really killed her birthmother, or was this all just one big mistake? There was a sinking feeling in her chest the more she thought about it.

* * *

"We have reached our destination," Magnolia announced as she threw her car into park. "Well, I wasn't expecting a sterile looking medical building that's for sure," she said, peering out the window.

"I was hoping for something that gave off a more supernatural feel to it." Nilin admitted. The address Mags's 'friend' had given her led them to this big white building that seemed mostly made out of windows. "Pocono Medical Center," Nilin read the big red letters. "Well, we came this far, right?"

"What the hell, let's give it a shot." Mags said, getting out of the car. Nilin followed and opened her door to be met with the chilly air of Pennsylvania. "Here," Magnolia tossed Nilin her green army jacket. "Before your bones start rattling," she winked and headed for the entrance.

Nilly slipped into the jacket and quickly followed after her. The inside of the medical center looked as bright and clean as Nilin expected. Her nose was hit with the sharp smell that all hospitals seemed to have. It made her stomach clench.

She followed Mags, who seemed to be unfazed by any of this, through the waiting room to the front desk. "Hi there," Magnolia smiled to the petite graying woman behind the window. "We're here to see a Dr. Rowan Merrick."

"Do you have an appointment?" the woman looked at the two of them with small sharp eyes.

"Uh, not an official appointment, but she should know why we're here." Mags told her. The secretary eyed them before moving to the phone and pressing a few buttons.

She closed the sliding window thing between them for a minute, having a hushed conversation with the phone.

Magnolia and Nilin exchanged looks, both internally groaning. A minute later the window slid open again. "She'll see you now, her office is on the third floor," the woman said, motioning them to the elevator.

"Thank you," Mags said before grabbing Nilly's arm and pulling her towards the elevator. "God forbid people smile every once and a while," she grumbled under her breath as she jabbed a finger at the button with a three on it.

The elevator doors closed and with a little jolt it began moving. Nilin's stomach was rolling around inside her. "Don't tell me elevators freak you out," Mags said, leaning on the metallic wall.

"No, it's not the elevator. I'm just nervous. I have a bad connection with hospital settings." Nilin confessed with a sheepish smile. Before either of them can say another word the elevator doors opened with a ding. On the third floor they met another sectary who led them to Dr. Rowan Merrick's office. She was waiting for them behind her desk.

"Come in, come in," the forty-something year old smiled. "Mary, close the door on your way out," she told the other woman, who nodded and left. Dr. Merrick stood up and walked around her desk, right hand outstretched towards them.

Nilin could see a Hamsa hand tattoo peeking out on her wrist from under her white sleeve. It was a symbol of protection. "I'm Dr. Merrick, but you two can just call me Rowan," she smiled, shaking Nilin and Mags's hands. "Please, take a seat."

Nilin gratefully fell into one of the upholstered chairs. Her nerves were boiling over. "I'm Magnolia Reader and this is my friend Nilin Gilbert," Mags introduced as she sat down in the identical chair next to her.

"Ah, yes." Rowan smiled. "After I got that phone call last night, I was hoping you two would show up soon."

Nilin looked around the woman's office as she and Magnolia's went through formalities. From the bits and pieces of conversation that floated into Nilly's ear it sounded like they were talking about the mutual friend that had brought them together.

The office was very clinical looking, but Nilin noticed little personal touches that were around the room. Dr. Merrick had several picture frames on her desk. She had a bowl filled with lotus flowers on one of the tables in the room. There was also a book shelf on one of the walls that caught Nilin's eye. One shelf held white medical books, another was filled with old leather bound ones. A feeling suddenly settled over Nilin; they were in the right spot.

From the plaques and certificates on the wall, it seemed that the doctor was a D.O. of Cardiovascular Surgery— or in less fancy terms, a very talented heart surgeon. Dr. Merrick, herself, was anything but clinical looking though.

Her tan skin contrasted with her white and blue hospital wear. Her thick black hair was braided back over her shoulder, showing the many gold piercings in her ears. Her lips curled in a wise smile every time Magnolia made a sarcastic comment.

Nilin felt herself calming down a little, enough to pull her maimed fingernails away from her teeth. Magnolia also seemed to relax as she leaned back in the chair, crossing her ankles out in front of her.

"I take it that you two haven't driven all this way to talk about our absentee pal, did you?" Rowan asked.

Magnolia let out a laugh that somewhat resembled a snort. "No, we didn't. We've got some bigger problems on our hands, Doc."

"Ah yes, young Nilin Gilbert," Rowan said, turning her attention on Nilly. "You haven't spoken much."

"Yeah, she does that sometimes," Mags smirked, leaning over and pinching Nilin's arm.

"Ow," Nilly smacked her away. "Unnecessary."

Magnolia and Dr. Merrick started laughing. Nilin had the feeling like she was blushing but when she put her fingertips to her cheek the skin was cold.

"So, Nilin," the doctor said, clasping her hands on top of the desk. "Tell me what brings you here."

"Uh," Nilin swallowed hard. She could feel her chest tighten and her shoulder's tingle as if something was telling her to keep her mouth shut. "I… I'm…" she stuttered.

"Or how about I tell you a little about myself?" Dr. Merrick asked, obviously seeing Nilin's troubles. "I mean you must be wondering why you ended up at my doorstep, right?"

Nilly just nodded.

"Well, my family originates from a long line of ayurvedic healers back in India. They're pretty much herbal and spiritual healers. My mother was one, my grandmother was one, her mother was one and so forth. So when I came to America that knack for healing people seemed to follow me," she told them with a soft grin.

"I don't think we have anything that really needs to be healed though." Nilin spoke up, managing a coherent sentence.

"No, not necessarily," the doctor laughed. "But you see, I had a knack for something else as well. Ever since I was little, I was blessed with this gift. I am in communication with… well, the Otherside." Rowan said

Nilin's eyes widen, she got an uneasy feeling in her gut. She wiped her sweaty palms on the sides of her jeans. For some reason, she felt like she shouldn't be here. This was wrong. Just the mention of the Otherside left Nilin wanting to bolt. It scared the shit out of her lately.

"So wait, you mean to tell me you've got the Guardians on speed dial?" Mags asked, sitting up and crossing her arms.

"The Guardians?" Rowan's eyebrows knitted together. "Oh, that's what you refer to them as. They come by many names, it depends on who you're asking. Either way, yes. You can put it that way."

"How were you so lucky to end up with that one?" Magnolia questioned.

Again the doctor laughed. "I don't know, I'm blessed I supposed. I've noticed you have a gift yourself," she said, smiling at Mags.

Mags sat up straighter, looking a little uncomfortable. Nilin copied her movement, sitting up in the chair and crossing her legs. "Excuse me?"

"Well, by the way you seemed to mimic the expressions that pop up on Nilin's face, despite your cool and cynical behavior, I'm going to shoot for empath. Am I right?" Rowan put a long tan finger to her chin.

"I doubt you got empath from just that," Mags said, eyeing the woman.

"And you'd be correct. Like I said, I can hear whoever's over there talking," she explained, pointing to her pierced ear.

"Creepy," Mags mumbled, looking around the room.

"It can be. They usually just tell me things when I ask for them. For example," Rowan stated. "I noticed something a little off about you, I questioned it, someone over there answered. Simple as that."

Nilin's fingernails found their way back to her mouth. This whole situation was making her anxious. She felt as if she was under a magnifying glass. Dr. Merrick was basically an open tunnel to communicate with the beings that could answer every one of Nilin's questions.

"So now it makes sense to why we were directed here," Mags sighed, relaxing back again. "You're the key to figuring this whole thing out, Doc."

Dr. Merrick bit her lip. "I don't think I am. The connotation of their words isn't very positive. Nilin," she turned towards her. "I think it's time to talk now."

"What do you want me to tell you?" Nilin asked. "Can't you just ask whoever's there?"

Rowan leaned forward on her desk. "You're so very new to this. Still have trouble talking about what happened? You don't remember any of it, do you?" she asked with a melancholy tone to her voice.

Nilin swallowed hard, digging her fingernails into the palm of her hand. "I don't remember anything," she mumbled.

"How much time did you lose?" she wondered.

"An entire month," Nilin answered, running her fingers through her hair. "I think someone over there is angry that I came back here."

"Yes, they're not very happy about that," she told her.

"Then why did they even send me back in the first place?" Nilly asked.

Rowan sighed. "You have to understand that when supernatural beings die, they go to the Otherside. From what I understand the Guardians have always been there to control it and the beings over there. They make the rules, and call the shots."

"So, it's tradition?" Mags asked.

The doctor nodded. "When someone in your situation comes to them, they have a way of handling it and they've always given the choice. It's just that most choose to stay and not return."

"You mean to tell me that there have been other people like Nilin?" Mags asked.

"Well, not the same exact storyline, but people who had a mission and were stolen by death just a little too early. They use this to benefit them, or whatever they need to accomplish. You have to remember, the— as you call them— Guardians have been around a very _very _long time. It's said that they are the first supernatural beings to ever exist."

"So, if most people stay with them, why are they so angry that just one left?" Nilin questioned. "I mean what's so special with me?"

A grin came to Rowan's lips. "You are extremely important."

"What do you mean?" Nilly asked, scooting to the edge of her seat.

"Every now and then a certain vessel comes to them, one that they want to craft into a warrior who will defeat a dire dilemma. It looks to be that you're one of them, Nilin."

Nilin didn't like the way the doctor talked. If there were sides to take on this matter, she would be taking the Otherside's. She looked at Nilin much like she was the newest discovery that needed to be dissected.

"How can they craft you if you're not over there with them?" Mags asked slowly, turning towards Nilly as if it all just clicked in place

"Then why don't they just take me back?" Nilin inquired angrily.

"Because you have to be willing to go back, to change the choice you made that auspicious night." Rowan replied. "And you're clearly not up for that idea."

Nilin was silent for a moment before she could say anything. "No, I'm not. I made my choice, I'm sticking with it."

"As I, and they, thought." Rowan said with a grim look on her face. "That's going to create some more difficulties for you though."

"Nothing I haven't handled already," Nilly told her. She heard Mags chuckle next to her, nudging Nilin with her elbow to say that she was proud.

"So I've heard," the doctor said, sitting back in her office chair. "It seems like your family is destined to be entangled by the supernatural world."

"I don't believe destiny has a say in much when it comes to this kind of stuff," Nilin told her, crossing her arms over her chest.

Rowan laughed, shaking her head. "That's where you're very wrong, you've already been touched by fate," she informed.

"Okay, before some breaks out the tarot cards, let's get back on track," Mags said and again Nilin was grateful to have her here. "Why is it growing increasingly difficult for Nilly to control this?"

The doctor cleared her throat before looking back over at Nilin. "It shouldn't be, that's quiet strange. Usually at this stage you should be getting the hang of it."

Nilin couldn't help the look that came over her face. She was being rude, but how exactly does one 'get the hang' of this? Nilly was having a teenage moment, being stubborn and complaining about how all this was bullshit. "But I haven't."

"Well, in my medical opinion it's because you're body is still in the infancy of the change. I think over time it will become more accustomed to it, but that depends…"

"Depends on what?" Nilin questioned.

"On my spiritual opinion, which it that you're fighting this," she responded. "You won't accept what happened to you, actually happened. You're fighting it off with everything you got. That's going to burn you up from the inside out if you keep it up."

"How can I fight something that I don't even know?" Nilin wondered.

"That's the first step. You need to let it in, open up and let it happen." Rowan spoke. "You can't keep hiding, Nilin. And I believe your memory will start to come back once you start doing that."

Nilin didn't believe that. She had come to the conclusion that her memory would stay gone and that was the best for everyone. Honestly, she was terrified that if she could remember those lost days, everything might come crashing down around them. All the progress she had made would disappear and she'd be that scared, little girl she was last summer.

"Though they're doing a lot of bad mouthing, they do have a message for you," Rowan continued, pulling Nilin's attention back to her. Her eyes had swept past the both of them, focusing on something behind the two girls.

"Well?" Mags asked. "Don't leave us hanging."

"A life time of darkness, she is reborn into light." Rowan began still not looking at them. "More than once, she will face death. A great evil will make his way to her, threatening everything that is balanced. It is her duty to stop the original abomination of nature," the doctor spoke almost mechanically. "For he can not be kill, but she can kill him. And with him goes all others. One last task she must accomplish before she is returned to the dirt."

"Whoa, deep," Mags muttered, shifting uncomfortably in the chair. "Anything else? Ya know, anything actually helpful?"

Dr. Merrick shook her head, clearing her throat before she spoke. "No, that's all. Who ever I was speaking to over there severed the line," she said, finally making eye contact with her again.

"Any idea what that means, Nilly?" Mags turned to her but Nilin wasn't paying attention. She was trying to stay conscious. "Nilin? Are you alright?"

"Oh dear, she looks pale." Dr. Merrick said, standing up from behind her desk.

"She always looks like that lately, but she's never looked that transparent before…" Magnolia mumbled as she stood as well.

Dr. Merrick was crouching in front of Nilin now, her two fingers pressing on the inside of her wrist. Her eyebrows rose in panic.

"Don't waste your time on that," Nilin spoke in a hoarse voice. "I barely have a plus, forever my heart will be beating its last beat," she repeated the words the one of the cloak figures told her all those months ago. "I'll be breathing my last breath…" she mumbled, remembering the golden haired woman word for word.

"What is she going on about?" Mags asked, putting a hand on Nilly's shoulder.

"She's remembering. Something brought her back to that night." Rowan explained, still crouching in front of her. "Nilin," she said softly, looking up at her. "What else did they tell you? Can you remember?" The doctor took hold of one of Nilin's hands.

The words flowed effortlessly now. "I am forever in between. My heart thuds slower, my blood is thicker, yet my mine is quicker. I…" Nilin tried to keep going but something way blocking the memory. "I… I—" Her chest began to shutter. It watched the flickering of the florescent lights above them.

"What else Nilin?"

"I don't know," Nilly gasped as looked down at the woman. "I can't remember."

"Yes, you can. You have to," the doctor shook Nilin. "Stop fighting it."

Nilin couldn't breathe. Her chest was heaving painfully as tears welled up in her eyes. "No, I don't want to."

"You must—"

"Okay, enough!" Magnolia shouted, pulling Nilin up off the chair and away from Rowan. "She can't do it right now. Don't push her." Mags said.

"She needs to be pushed or else she'll never get through this." Dr. Merrick exclaimed.

"Well not here, not now." Mags retorted as the lights returned to normal. "Push too much and she'll never get through it either."

"How do you expect her to conquer some great evil if she can't even conquer her inner demons?" Rowan questioned.

Mags didn't have a good enough answer. She clamped her jaw down, grinding her teeth slightly. "I think it's time we leave. Thank you for all your help, we really do appreciate it," she said, grabbing Nilin's wrist and backing towards the door.

"Wait," Dr, Merrick. "I want you to take this before you go." She went over to her bookshelf and slipped a leather one off of it. Then she walked over to Nilin and took her free hand. "Take this, read through it when you are ready. It might help you."

Nilin was only able to nod and force a small smile on her lips. "Thank you."

"God be with you," the doctor said before Magnolia and Nilin left.

* * *

Magnolia all but ran out of that place, throwing Nilin into the passenger seat before sliding into the driver's seat and speeding away from there. "Crazy bitch. I don't know what that was all about, but don't think too much into it, Nilin," she ranted. "Who does she think she is? 'She needs to be pushed or she'll never get through this'. Bullshit, that lady might know a lot of stuff but she doesn't know a goddamn thing about you or us or any of that."

"Mags, you're going 70 in a 45 mile per hour zone." Nilly said in a shaky voice. "I'd like to make it home in one piece and without a criminal record."

Magnolia eased her foot off the gas peddle as they back tracked out of the town. "Well I'm glad to see that little experience didn't mess with your sarcasm," she joked with Nilin, trying to lighten the mood.

"Nerves of steel," she tried to grin, but it didn't reach her eyes. She dropped them to the leather book that was sitting in her lap. Nilin took and tossed it behind her to the back seat.

"So, wanna tell me what that was all about?" Mags asked.

"What do you mean?" Nilly shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"You went into some kind of trace and started rambling about your heart and your blood and your mind… and I think something about your big toe or something," Magnolia explained.

Nilin laughed a little, shaking her head. "It wasn't a trance. It was like the memory unfolded around me, and I could remember every little detail about that night, but suddenly it just fell a part around me. I guess I just hit the wall again."

"So, what, do you like have it locked in your head somewhere?" Magnolia asked. "That just screams mentally unstable to me."

"I don't know. I mean, at the moment the memory is still there but it's getting harder to recall. As if I were to let go of it, it would disappear again. " Nilin explained as she rubbed her head. A piercing pain was working it way through her brain as she rested her head against the widow.

"Don't worry, I'll remember this one for you," Mags promised before she let the conversation die off as they merged onto Interstate 95

Nilin mumbled a thank you and in little to no time her eyes closed. Mags suspected she was sleeping or trying to, so she let her be. The girl was having a rough couple of days. She flicked on the radio and mindlessly went with the highway traffic as they headed back South. It was time for both of them to go home.

She'd be lying if she said that Nilly's emotions weren't affecting her. It was hard. She knew Nilin was missing her family and Damon. She didn't need to be an empath for that… the girl talked in her sleep… Magnolia herself was dealing with a bout of homesickness as well though.

She was missing Shellie and Rider. The several phone calls she made to them throughout the trip hadn't cut it. She still missed them dearly. At this moment she needed something that made sense in her life and that usually came in the form of Rider.

Magnolia was no stranger to the dating scene, she had had boyfriends in the past but those were always just flings. She had never met someone who had as much as an impact as Rider did on her. She was starting to understand that way Nilin talked about Damon.

The song playing on the radio reminded her of him even more. It was the band that sparked up their first conversation and it was sort of their song. Mags sighed and turned up the volume just a little.

_We all are stranger creatures  
Than when we all started out as kids,  
Culture forbids,  
We have romantic fantasies  
About what dying truly is,  
To fall off the grid.  
We live for the night's decor,  
It reveals what we dream of_

She'll admit it, she was hooked. When she was with him, everything else seemed to be blocked out. And not in the mushy-gushy, sappy ass romantic way, but in the literal way. When Rider was around she didn't feel the constant bombardment of emotions from every living soul around her. It was just him and her.

Magnolia really needed that right now. Even in her sleep, Nilin was a volcano of emotions. She could already tell this was going to be a long car ride home.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Next chapter is up! Hope you like it. It's been a rough few days and this story really gets my mind off things. I hope it does the same for some of you :) Let me know, drop me a message, send me an e-mail, write up a review, anything. I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS. Thank you so much for reading and all see you soon.

_**Favorite, Follow & Review.  
**_RLS

**Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_fifteen_nilin/set?id=133890348&lid=3742036

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_fifteen_mags/set?id=133890683&lid=3742036

Dr. Merrick's Outfit: /chapter_fifteen_dr_rowan_merrick/set?id=133890764&lid=3742036

**Get the Songs:**

Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=PHTSRA1RrSs

Magnolia and Rider's Song: Glowing Eyes by Twenty One Pilots

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=ErIXJXn8OTQ


	16. Revelry

**Chapter Sixteen: Revelry**

_So I drink and I smoke and I ask you if your ever around  
Even though it was me who drove us right into the ground  
See the time we shared it was precious to me  
But all the while I was dreaming of revelry  
Gonna run baby, run like a stream down a mountainside  
With the wind in my back I wont ever even bat an eye  
__Just know it was you all along that had a hold of my heart  
__But the demon in me was a best friend from the start_

_~Kings of Leon_

When they had left Pennsylvania Saturday morning, Magnolia decided to drive through the night so that they could get back as soon as possible. So that meant that Magnolia and Nilin took driving shifts. They rotated in two hour decimals— even though Nilly took a longer shift to allow Mags to sleep a little. Their little system made the time past quicker. They past interstate sign after interstate sign, whizzing down the highway until someone's legs cramped and the next person took over driving.

They managed to cross Virginia lines early Sunday afternoon and were back in their little town of Mystic Falls before dinner. Magnolia pulled up to the little apartment she and Shellie rented. Nilin slid out of the passenger's seat, gratefully placing her jelly filled legs on the curb. Being stuck in a car for that long did a number on the body.

She saw Mags stretching out her back before popping the truck and pulling their bags out. "Come upstairs for a little, get cleaned up and situated before you go," she offered. Nilin saw reason not to accept and followed her into the building.

It was a small apartment complex with only five one level apartments and two double level. It was mostly filled with single bachelors out of college but stuck at home. Mags and Shellie were of the fourth floor.

They took the elevator up to it. Mags materialized a key and stuck it in the hole labeled 'FOUR'. When she turned it, the elevator began ascending to that floor. In no time the rusty metal doors opened to reveal the apartment's living room.

Mags patted across the hardwood floors, kicking off her shoes as she went. The living room was nicely furnished. It had three white walls and one accent wall that was painted a dark red. There were three windows on one of the white walls, the blinds pulled open and casting a warm light into the room. They had two long black couches, with red and white throw pillows on them. A glass coffee table filled with magazines and books sat in the middle. On the opposite wall sat television and stereo system.

The living room was attached to their kitchen that had a mix match of appliances in it and a small round table with only three chairs around it and a vase filled with beautiful red roses. Nilin noticed that there weren't many pictures around, just a frame that held an old looking photo of several people. It sat on a side table in the living room, next to one of the couches. A lit white candle, dripping wax onto the glass below it, was next to it.

Mags had disappeared down the only hallway in the apartment, splitting it in two. It led straight back to a glass door that looked like it went out to a balcony. As Nilin plopped herself on one of the couches, Mags reappeared in a fresh set of clothing; a grey tank top and skinny jeans. Lee-Roy followed behind her, nudging her side and wagging his tail happily.

"Where the hell is everybody?" she asked, petting the top of his head. And as if on cue, they heard the whine of the elevator doors opening and a high pitch screech. Lee-Roy let out a bark as they turned to see who it was.

"I knew it! I thought I saw your car outside!" Shellie said giddily as she threw her arms around Magnolia. "I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!" she exclaimed, shaking her cousin back and forth.

"Enough, alright." Magnolia tried to pry the slight girl off of her. "For the love—

Michelle!"

Shellie finally let go, laughing. "You're such a grouch," she smiled. Then she caught sight of Nilin on the couch. "Nilly!" she sang. "I've missed you too!" Shellie ran over and all but jumped on Nilin, hugging her tightly.

"_Ooo_f, missed you too, Shells," Nilin laughed, hugging her back.

"See, that's how you reciprocate a hug and shout of adornment," she told Magnolia, still sitting on top of Nilin. "Luckily, I brought someone to cheer you up, grouch." Shellie pointed towards the elevator doors, which were being held open by someone.

Nilin saw Rider step out of the elevator completely, a lopsided smile on his face. He ran a hand through his messy dark hair. In nothing fancy but a dark pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, Nilin stuck with her first impression of him. He was handsome.

"Surprise," he grinned, taking a step towards Magnolia.

Nilin spotted the smile that broke out on Mags's face. Her eyes lit up instantly as she crossed the distance between her and Rider. She wrapped her arms around his neck, nuzzling her face into the crook as his arms secured around her waist.

"Miss me?" he asked her, kissing the side of her head.

Mags lifter her head up, chuckling a little. "You have no idea," she said, before kissing him. Rider kissed her back, sensually, right in front of Nilin and Shellie.

The two girls quickly looked away. "You know, they were so cute until they started trying to eat each other," Shellie sighed, causing Nilin to laugh.

"Uh, we can hear you," Mags said, stepping aside. Rider kept an arm around her though as he laughed.

"Look, they live!" Shellie exclaimed. Nilin started to laugh even harder.

"Weirdos," Mags rolled her eyes.

"Yes, we are and proud, but listen," Shellie huffed as she scrambled off of Nilin and stood up. "I know you two have been on this tremendously epic journey that probably solved all our problems—"

"It didn't."

Shellie's eyes scrunched up in a glare but she continued talking. "Anyway, and I know you're probably tired and just want to crawl in a bed—"

"That's what I'm planning on doing after you stop talking."

Shellie growled at them. "_Buuut,"_ she carried on. "There's this fundraiser at The Grill. I'm helping out at it and it would be absolutely wonderful if you guys would come and help out too."

"How'd you end up volunteering at a fundraiser?" Nilin asked.

"Your aunt talked me into. She said something along the lines of "In this town, fundraising is like indentured servitude. You don't have a choice."" Shellie explained. Nilly gave her a strange look. "What, I've been at your house a lot," she shrugged.

"Oh, good to know," Nilin nodded.

"What's this even about?" Mags ask, leaning into Rider a bit.

"It's an auction," he answered. "Mystic Falls' most eligible bachelors, or something like that. I obviously don't qualify for it," he grinned, kissing Magnolia's cheek.

She laughed, "Not at all."

"Everyone's going to be there. Your entire family's going, Nilly. Damon too, he's one of the bachelors," Shellie rambled on.

Nilin's brows weaved together. "He is?" she questioned, before she realized it was dumb to even think he wouldn't be wrangled into something like this. "Makes sense, it strokes his ego," she sighed.

"Yeah…" Shellie said awkwardly. "Sorry about that, but still, you'll get to see him."

"Why not? It might be entertaining to see forty something year olds swooning over him," Nilin smirked a little.

* * *

The Grill was filled with people as the fundraiser kicked off. People were mingling about, enjoying the night and discount boozes. Stefan was standing with Elena and Caroline when he spotted Alaric from across the room. He excused himself for a moment and started towards him.

Alaric saw him and veered off to the corner of the bar where they could talk. "Thanks for meeting me," he said, once Stefan took a seat next to him. "Something's come up."

Catching on, Stefan nodded. "Jenna told you," he said more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah," Alaric nodded, running a hand over the back of his neck. He ordered a drink from the bartender before turning to look at Stefan.

"So it's true. Your wife Isobel was Elena and Nilin's birth mother." Stefan finally concluded.

Alaric bobbed his head again, coughing uncomfortably. "What do they know?" he asked as a glass was placed in front of him.

Stefan let out a breath of air, leaning back on the stool. "About what?"

He downed most of the drink before speaking again. "Do they know about Damon and Isobel?" he rephrased his question.

"No," Stefan answered. "Last time I checked, Nilly didn't want anything to do with this. And I couldn't tell Elena, not until I was sure. I asked Damon without saying too much. He doesn't remember."

"Well then, ask him again," Alaric pushed.

"Damon is a little distracted right now," Stefan explained. "With everything going on with Nilin, he's not too stable."

"You know, he murdered my wife, or at the very least made a meal out of her. When has he ever been stable?" Alaric asked as his voice rose.

"I'm telling you not to push this," Stefan hissed.

"Give me a reason not to," he challenged back.

Stefan gritted his teeth. "Your survival. How's that for a reason? I'll handle it, but for now, I need you to let it go."

"Let it go?" Alaric echoed. "Is that what you'll tell Elena? Or what about Nilin? What's she going to do when she finds out what her boyfriend did? I need to know what happened, Stefan. I think you would, too."

Stefan let out a long breath, composing himself. "I need something more, a picture, or something I can show my brother."

He watched as Alaric pulled out his wallet. Tucked in the back, behind a wrinkled baseball card, he pulled out a photo. "Here," he slid it over to Stefan. "Take it." With that he stood and walked away, leaving Stefan sitting there at the bar.

He sat there, looking at the dark hair woman in the picture, picturing Elena's face next to hers. There was some resemblance— the curve of her top lip, the sharp line of her jaw bone, the slight wave of her hair. Stefan saw Elena in this Isobel woman, but he wasn't positive that this wasn't his mind looking for an answer to all of this. As Stefan tried to figure out what his next move was going to be, another person took up the seat next to him, sliding in right where Alaric had been.

Stefan could already smell the bourbon coming off his brother before he even turned to look at him. "Come to drain the bar like you drained the boarding house?" he asked.

Damon just laughed, "Hey, I've been behaving."

"If behaving is being drunk for the past week, then yeah, I guess you have," Stefan said.

"You can judge me when you watch your precious Elena die in front of you and then be miraculously resurrected into who the hell knows what. And when you're stuck, watching her struggle everyday, then you can comment about my drinking, got it brother?" he sneered. There was no humor in his voice, just the gravelly tone of alcohol.

"Fine, I get it. Sorry," Stefan sighed. Damon was always painfully blunt when he was drunk. Stefan didn't mean to hit a sore spot— all that did was make this next part even harder. "Listen, I wanted to talk to you," he stuck the picture Alaric had given him in front of Damon. "This is the woman, Isobel. Remember her now?"

"Who wants to know?" Damon asked, not giving the photo a second glance.

"I do."

"You wanna discuss the women in my past right now? Seriously?" Damon asked, glaring at him.

"You killed her." Stefan stated.

"What's your point?" he shrugged, waving the bartender over again.

"I just want to know if you remember anything about her." Stefan pushed, nearly pleading with his brother at this point.

"Oh, it's like a needle in a haystack, Stefan," he whined, downing the drink that was just set in front of him.

"Well, think hard," he tried. "It's important. Did you kill her?"

Damon's lips curled up into a smirk. That smirk told Stefan that this conversation was over. He had lost his shot to get information out of his brother "Sorry, don't know her," he shrugged, turning away.

Stefan shook his head, there was no getting through to Damon when he was like this. So instead he slid off his stool and left without saying another word to him.

Damon watched his brother leave before ordering another drink. Who was he to scrutinize Damon? And then to bring up some other girl from his past? Stefan was walking on thin ice.

He didn't know what Stefan was trying to do, but he had managed to piss Damon off. This chick's name kept popping up, Isobel. It rang a bell, but that was about it. He _could_ be helpful and try to give two shits about whatever was going on, but why give his brother that satisfaction?

It also didn't help that Damon was already on edge. Frankly, he was hanging on by the skin of his teeth.

He hadn't heard from Nilin, he didn't want to. He didn't want to hear about how they hit another dead end or how there were more questions they needed to answer. Most of all he was dreading having to lie to her again, telling her it was all going to be okay. He didn't know that, but Nilin put so much trust in him. Damon knew that she believed him when he said that and that killed him. He wasn't use to other relying on him.

That's why he was drowning himself in alcohol. It was easier to go about this in a drunken haze. Nilin would understand that more than anyone. Of course the Saints had a problem with it. He'd admit it though… he was a bit… unhinged lately.

Finally his second drink came and he downed it as quickly as he could. Three gulps later, Damon felt the last drops go down his throat, stinging slightly. "Hey Damon," a voice said, next to him. He turned to find Sheriff Liz Forbes there.

"Ah, Sheriff. What can I do for you?" he asked.

"I just wanted to thank you for agreeing to do this fundraiser. You really helped me out, Carol Lockwood wouldn't have let me live it down if I had come up empty handed."

"How could I turn down a room full of women clamoring to win a date with me? It sounds _tasty_." Damon smirked, admittedly enjoying his own inside joke a little too much.

Liz laughed, not even suspecting the innuendo behind his words. "Thank you, Damon. And as I promised," she waved a folder in her hand— their bargain. "That one thing you wanted me to look up on. You want this before or after your big debut?"

"How's it look?" he asked, tired with the foreplay. She handed him the folder for him to scan through.

"He checks out," Liz sighed. "Couple of speeding tickets. It's a rough story, though. Turns out his wife went missing a few years back in North Carolina."

That bit of information was like ice water down Damon's back. "North Caroline? She have a name?" he asked, but her already knew the answer to that.

Liz nodded. "Isobel."

And that's when it hit him. That name, yes, it did ring a bell. The memory came flying back, replaying behind his eyes.

From his seat at the bar, he could see Alaric across the room with Nilin's aunt. So was this what his brother was going on about? Was he and Alaric on some mission to crucify Damon? Well, it showed what side his brother was on, even though Damon didn't know what his gain was.

Maybe it was time for Damon to have a little fun with this. He could feel his lips twist up into a smirk. His brother and the history teacher had terrible timing.

* * *

Shellie managed to talk her into going to the fundraiser. Nilin wanted to go home first to change before heading over there. She was gross and grimy and in desperate need of a shower.

Nilly gave Elena a quick phone call, letting her know she was home and that she'd be at the Mystic Grill within the hour. Elena sounded relived that Nilly was back home, but at the same time there was an anxious tone in her voice.

Nilin figured she'd find out what was causing that anxiety sooner rather than later. At least she had thirty minutes to pretend everything was okay. Before she went upstairs to get ready in her empty house, Nilin popped a few pain killers on the off chance that they might actually work. Her head was throbbing. It was as if she had a constant headache since they left Dr. Merrick's office.

Magnolia had only tried to get information out of Nilin one more time after that. That attempted ended quickly when Nilin nearly started sobbing in her passenger seat. Whatever Dr. Merrick's had said or done, it had woken up something in Nilly's head. It was as if she had picked at the duct tape clogging the leaks on a dam, the soggy tape wasn't going to hold much longer.

Nilin had made a list in her head. Her priorities started with getting to The Grill and being reunited with her family after the long weekend. Then it went to figuring out this whole mess with Elena and finding their birth mother. Third on the list was dealing with Damon and his 'bachelor' ways. Then she could deal with her angel problems and broken head. And lastly, she still had calculus homework to do.

So with time running thin, Nilin freshened up. She'd be lying if she said she didn't take care in getting ready. Two can play at this game. She wanted Damon's jaw to hit the floor when he saw that she was back. Nilly would admit it, he bruised her self-esteem a little bit.

That's why she pulled out a royal blue dress from the back over her closet. It wasn't that she paid much attention to the fact that it was Damon's favorite color on her, or anything. She might have added an extra coat of mascara or two, but who would honestly notice? Finally she left for The Grill, sliding into her car and heading down the road.

She met Elena and Stefan outside the busy restaurant. When Elena saw her, she ran over and wrapped her arms around Nilin. "Ugh, I hate it when you go away," she whined as they hugged.

Nilin laughed. "Trust me, I wanted to be home."

"I wouldn't say that just yet, not until you've been caught up on everything that's been going on around here," Stefan said, walking over to them.

"Missed you too, Stefan," Nilin huffed, grinning a little.

He laughed, giving her a quick hug.

"How was your trip?" Elena asked as they walked a little down the sidewalk.

"Let's saved that headache for later," Nilin said with a tightlipped grin.

"Fair enough," Elena nodded. "Want to hear about my adventures?"

Nilin sighed, "Not really, but continue on." She stopped and leaned her back on the side of the cold brick wall.

"Well, I think I found out who our birthmother is." Elena started.

"This Isobel lady right," Nilly caught up. Elena nodded. "Alaric's missing, or dead or whatever wife?" She wasn't very sensitive with her wording and she took note that Elena noticed this.

"Yeah, we're pretty sure it's her." Stefan said. "It's not a coincidence," he explained. "Here, this is Alaric's wife."

Stefan materialized a photo from his back pocket and handed it to her. Nilly pulled her hands out of the pockets of her leather jacket and took it. She peered down at the woman, who smiled back at Nilin with dark hair and dark eyes. There was a quiver in her stomach as she handed the photo over to Elena.

"This is her. This is Isobel. Alaric gave this to you?" Elena asked. Her thumb was brushing over the picture as she stared at it.

"Everything he knows about vampires, he learned from her. He believes that she was killed by one," Stefan explained.

In that exact moment, Nilin felt her heart sink. Stefan was right, this wasn't a coincidence. This was a sick joke and Nilly was still waiting for the punch line. Just when everything was going, well she wouldn't say good but better, this could crumble it all. What was Stefan and Elena going to do when they found out…

"Oh, my god." Nilin heard Elena breathe out next to her.

A wind blew, lifting her dress a little and pricking at her bare legs. She held the material down as she shivered. "Are you sure?" Nilin asked, swallowing hard. This feeling of dread seemed to settle itself in her gut and wouldn't leave.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure." Stefan nodded, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. Nilin pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to keep the headache at bay. It didn't help much.

Elena turned to her. "I'm so sorry, Nil. I know you didn't want to be dragged into this. I didn't know it would lead to… to…" she was lost for words.

"To vampires?" Nilin asked, before she started laughing. "Don't be surprised, Elena. This is what our lives have come down to. Vampires, vampires and oh look, more vampires," she said bitterly.

"Listen," Stefan spoke up. "There's a lot about Isobel that Alaric can tell you, but I need you to hold off a little while before you talk to him."

"Why?" Elena chirped.

Nilin watched as Stefan rocked on the balls of his feet. Damon did the same thing when he was trying to make a decision. She watched him closely. What exactly would make Stefan have an internal conflict? Had he pieced this all together like she had?

"I know that it's a lot to be asking of you two," he spoke finally, looking between Nilin and Elena. "But will you do that for me?"

Nilin suddenly wished she had decided on not coming tonight. "I wasn't planning on talking to Alaric about this anyway, so yeah. Don't sweat it," she huffed, pushing off the wall. The bricks scratched the backs of her legs as she did so.

Elena had been looking to her for an answer. She saw Elena nod and agree, "Yeah, I'll wait."

"Thank you," Stefan smile, hugging her. He nodded at Nilin in appreciation.

The reason she had been entertaining this whole adoption thing was because it meant a lot to Elena, but now Damon was involved. Nilin didn't know what she signed up for. She didn't know what should do. When this all goes down— and trust her, it was going to— things were going to really messy, really fast. Where would she be standing at the end of it?

"Alright, let's conclude this depressing little meeting and head inside. It's cold and I need a drink," Nilin told them as she headed for the entrance of the Mystic Grill. Before this conversation Nilin couldn't wait to see Damon again, but now the butterflies that had been fluttering in her stomach had turned to stones and anxiety was painfully lodged in her throat.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Another day, another chapter. I hope you guys are enjoying it. We're starting to follow the plot line of season two now, so I bet you can all guess what about to happen. Anyway, I'll be sure to update soon... maybe tomorrow? Who knows?!

**_Favorite, Follow, Review_**  
RLS

For those wondering,  
**rev·el·ry  
**ˈrevəlrē/  
_noun  
_Lively and noisy festivities, especially when these involve drinking a large amount of alcohol.

**Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_sixteen_nilin/set?id=134486859

**Get the Songs:**

Revelry by Kings of Leon

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=EZyGWg0uqkw


	17. Million Dollar Man

**Chapter Seventeen: Million Dollar Man**

_I don't know how you get over, get over  
Someone as dangerous, tainted and flawed as you  
One for the money, and two for the show  
I love you honey, I'm ready, I'm ready to go  
How did you get that way? I don't know  
You're screwed up and brilliant,  
Look like a million dollar man,  
So why is my heart broke?_

_~Lana Del Rey_

"Tickets for the raffle are now on sale. All proceeds benefit the annual Founder's Day celebration," Mrs. Lockwood was announcing as Nilin walked into The Grill, following Elena over to their aunt. When Jenna saw Nilin, a smile broke out across her face.

"There you are," she said, hugging Nilin tightly. "So, how was it?" Jenna asked, letting Nilly out of her death grip.

"Oh, the college?" Nilin nodded, going along with their cover story. "It was okay, I guess. Too far away for my likings though," she told her aunt, adding in a shoulder shrug for good measure.

That earned her another bear hug.

"Good, 'cause I didn't want you that far away, either," she told Nilin, running a hand up and down her back. "You know, I think you're stuck with us."

"Yeah I have the same feeling," she laughed, bumping Jenna with her elbow. "So, where's your boy toy?" Nilin asked, watching her aunt's reaction.

Jenna sighed as she looked down at her pumps. "Um, Nilin, there's something—"

"Elena caught me up on everything," Nilin jumped in, hoping to spare herself from going through that conversation again. "I was just seeing if you were on the same page as us. How's Alaric taking it?"

"Well, it's kind of a shock for everyone, including him," she let out another sigh. "I don't know, though. It looks like you're taking it better."

"I'm my father's daughter," Nilin said. "Things just roll off my back," she told her with a smile.

"You're also your mother's daughter, which means you have the inability to ignore something like this." Jenna poked, giving her a wink.

"I'll be fine." Nilin swore, but her aunt just narrowed her eyes. "I will," she reiterated. "Besides, I've got this one looking after me," Nilin smiled, draping her arm over Elena's shoulder.

"Oh, now I'm convinced," Jenna said sarcastically. "I'll be right back. I'm going to buy some tickets and talk to Alaric before they start the auction," her aunt said, before weaving through the crowded Grill.

"Alaric's one of the bachelors?" Nilin asked, turning to Elena.

"Yeah, I guess so," she shrugged.

Panic jolted her heart. Alaric and Damon in the same room might not be the best thing to have at the moment. Without trying to alarm her sister, Nilin stretched up on the tips of her toes. She cranked her neck, looking around The Grill for any signs of those familiar dark eyes. "Hey, have you seen Damon around?" she asked nonchalantly, giving up on her search and returning to the flats of her feet.

Elena shook her head. "I haven't seen him since I was at the boarding house earlier today. Why?" she asked as they started to make their way to a less crowed area of the restaurant.

"I just need to talk with him," Nilly explained.

"He's been a little uneasy lately. It's kind of got Stefan and me worried," Elena voiced her concerns.

"Well, it's been hard for him too. Whether you acknowledge it or not, I like to think that he cares about me," she said, taking a seat in one of the empty booths. "I mean, everyone's kinda stressed out now, including him."

Elena slid in across from her. "Nilin, I know he cares about you— trust me, that's no longer up for debate— but you know how unpredictable Damon can be," she stressed.

Nilin's eyes were cast down as she pulled at a loose string on her dress. "He's fine, Elena," she stated. It wasn't as if Nilly believed that fully herself, she just didn't need for Elena to know that.

"Okay, okay. I believe you, but I mean, you saw how he was after that whole thing with Katherine and the tomb." Elena nagged on.

"Yeah, so?"

"Nil, he's been acting the same way lately. That's why I'm worried," Elena explained. She was wringing her hands together on the table top as she talked.

This caught Nilin attention. She sat up in the booth, raking her fingers through her hair. "With all this going on, why did you guys think it was okay to send me away for the weekend?" she questioned.

"Because you can't fix everything, Nilin. It's impossible to hold all of this crap on just your shoulders." Elena tried to tell her, but Nilly wasn't listening. Her eyes were darting from person to person, searching for the subject of their conversation. The Grill was too crowed though. "This is just what I need right now," Nilin mumbled under her breath, already scooting out of the booth.

"Nilin, this is what I mean," Elena sighed, following after her.

"Just help me find him, okay?" she asked, trying to calm down a little. There was this roll in her gut, a sixth sense almost, telling her that something bad was going to happen.

As they stood, Nilin noticed that the Mayor's wife was on the stage again. She was introducing the bachelors. "Found him," Nilin said, feeling her heart drop to her feet. Her eyes bore holes into bachelor number five. Damon stood behind Mrs. Lockwood, all dressed in black with a smirk already on his lips. Next to him, looking uncomfortable and stiff, was Alaric. Nilin's stomach did a nauseating flip.

"Not good, not good," she mutter under her breath as she watched Mrs. Lockwood turn to Damon. Nilin pushed her way through the mass of people watching until she found her aunt. Elena was close behind her.

"I didn't know Damon was one of the bachelors being auctioned," Jenna said as Nilin walked up next to her.

"It was a surprise to me too," Nilin mumbled, watching the people on the stage intensely. Damon still hadn't seen her.

"Nilin, what's going on?" Elena asked, pulling on her arm. Nilin just hushed her as Carol Lockwood started talking.

"And last, but not least, Damon Salvatore. We don't have much on you," she said, looking down at the flashcards in her hand.

Damon grinned arrogantly. "Well, I'm tough to fit on a card." Nilin could literally hear every woman in the room swoon. She gritted her teeth a bit. Nilly didn't realize she could be the jealous type.

"Do you have hobbies?" Carol continued. "Like to travel?"

"Oh yeah," Damon perked up, clasping his hands together in front of him. "L.A., New York. A couple of years ago I was in North Carolina, near the Duck campus. I think— I think Alaric went to school there. Didn't you, Ric?"

Nilin felt Elena stiffen up next to her, as her hand dropped from Nilin's arm. Nilly herself clenched her fist into a ball, digging her nails into her skin. She noticed the lights flicker a bit. A part of her was trying to contain her feelings, another was hoping Damon would notice the waver of light and shut up.

Her eyes bore into Damon, but he was reveling in Alaric's reaction. _Don't do this, don't do this_, her inner voice yelled at him. In a perfect world Damon would have just stopped there and continued on with the auction, but as everyone has seen, this world was nowhere near perfect.

Alaric was shifting from foot to foot on the stage, as he glared at Damon. "Yeah," Damon continued, smirking like the devil. "Because I know your wife did."

Nilin turned to Elena but there was nothing she could say, the words got stuck in her throat. She knew Elena had fit the pieces together. Damon had said enough.

"Elena," Nilin tried to grab her arm and pull her towards the exit, but Elena just ripped her arm away. That's when Nilly noticed Stefan had appeared. He was whispering to Elena, pleading with her to leave now. She wasn't budging though, her stare stayed transfixed on Damon.

"I had a drink with her once…" Damon's grin grew. "She was a great girl. I ever tell you that? Cause she was," he seemed to search for the right word, "delicious."

With that the lights in the room began to tremble again as Nilin felt her chest grow painfully tight, it was nothing compared to the pressure in her head though. She didn't want to believe it was true, but there Damon was, gloating right in front of Alaric. Again, she looked over at Elena, whose mouth was parted open in shock. Her crystal blue eyes were swimming with tears as she glared at Damon. Jenna also noticed Elena's expression. "Are you okay?" she whispered.

Nilin watched as Elena swallowed hard and nod once. "I just need some air," she replied before dashing out of The Grill. Nilin and Stefan took after her.

"Elena," Nilin called once they were outside.

She was pacing back and forth, fingers wracking through her straight brown hair. "_He_ killed her?" she spat, looking up at Nilly. "_He_ was the vampire that killed her? Did you know about this?" she growled, starting for Nilin.

"Elena—"

"Did you?" she shouted.

"I had my suspicions but it couldn't be true." Nilin told her.

"It couldn't? Or you didn't want it to be?" she snapped back.

Nilin ran her hands down her face. "How could I ever imagine something like this?" she asked her. "You can't make this shit up, Elena. God, I didn't even want to get involved!" she shouted.

"Well you are now!" Elena yelled back.

"Elena," Stefan said her name softly coming over to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders to stop her from pacing.

"Did you know about this too?" she asked, glaring up at him.

"I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you. But I just— I wanted to know more," he pleaded with her.

"I was feeling sorry for him, Stefan," Elena said in disgust. "I was hoping this whole thing with Nilin would change him. I'm so stupid," she said, her eyes drifting to Nilly.

Stefan took one hand off of Elena so he could turn and look at Nilly too. "He doesn't know the connection between you two and Isobel. If he knew Nilin was involved in all this, he wouldn't have done that. I thought about confronting him, but he's already so on edge."

"Why are you protecting him, Stefan?" Elena accused, slipping out of his hold. Her slender arms wrapped around her body in an attempt to keep some warmth in.

"Because you're not the only one hoping that he might have actually changed," he answered as he took a step back from the both of them.

Nilly looked around, trying to push a coherent thought through her head. Her heart was breaking. She could feel the sharp pieces digging into her insides, making each breath painful. "He has though. He has changed," she pleaded with them. "You just haven't seen it yet."

"And when will we Nilin? Huh, after he breaks your heart? After he hurts you?" Elena asked. "He's sick. There's nothing good in him."

"Stop it," Nilin snapped.

"No, you stop it, Nilin. Stop defending him!" Elena yelled. "Didn't you see what he just did in there? Why don't you see that he's still the same monster who shoved blood down your throat all those months ago?"

"Because he's not! He risked everything to save my life, he's done everything to try and help me!" Nilin shouted.

"And we still lost you," Elena said. She turned back to walk into The Grill, not sticking around to see the stricken look on Nilin's face. She stormed through the doors, still shocked and upset. She was aiming to grab her things and leave as soon as possible but just as she rounded a corner she slammed into someone's hard chest.

"Whoa, easy there," Damon smirked. "Buy a ticket like everyone else."

She should have kept walking, she should have turned around and left, but Elena didn't. Her singers curled into a fist as she looked up Damon. "Did you enjoy that?" Elena growled, her eyes hard and cold. "Rubbing it into Alaric Saltzman?"

Damon looked confused. "What?" he asked.

"Just as I was starting to think that there was something redeemable about you," she spat.

"Elena," she heard Stefan call her name and she knew he and Nilin were close.

"Am I missing something here?" he asked, looking between Elena and his brother with a slightly amused expression on his face.

"Did I forget to mention earlier at the boarding house, when we were talking about my birthmother, the one that gave me up?"

"Mmhm," Damon hummed, his eyebrows knitting together.

"Her name was Isobel," Elena said slowly. She could see Damon's cockiness falter as the expression on his face fell. "Go ahead," she said. "Reminisce about how you killed her." Then she walked past him, clipping him in the shoulder hard. Stefan and Damon exchanged looks before he followed after Elena.

Damon turned back around to find Nilin standing there in a little blue dress and mascara smudging under her eyes. "You're back," was all he could say.

"Yeah, welcome home," she said in a hoarse voice. He went to go say something but she cut him off. "You know, I was going to surprise you tonight. Show up in this stupid dress, watch your expression when you saw me just so I could see that little smile that you save only for me come to your lips."

"Nilin—" he tried.

"That's what I needed to come home to. Not you drunkenly teasing a poor man who lost his wife," she exclaimed, "_who you killed_. The fact that she was my birthmother, doesn't sting as much. I never wanted to know about her, but the fact that you had to do that," she shot a finger out towards the stage. Her eyes dropped to the floor, unable to finish her sentence.

"I didn't know," he said.

"I need to go," she told him. She turned to leave but Damon's hand shot out and grabbed her arm.

"Wait, Nilin please," he begged.

The lights above them dimed and their eyes looked up at them. "Let go of me, Damon," she insisted. "Now."

He did as she asked, not wanting to cause more of a scene. Then he watched her turn on her heels and leave him standing there.

* * *

Damon was back at the boarding house and pissed. His hands stayed locked in a perpetual fist from the moment Nilin scurried away in that blue dress of hers. He had fucked up, and fucked up bad. The only thing he has been consuming the past few days was bourbon and blood bags. Maybe not the best combination— as seen by the turn of events tonight.

He knew he was impulsive, Nilin made sure not to let him forget that. But what he did tonight was not spontaneous, it was premeditated. Damon had thought every word he wanted to say to Alaric, picking out the ones that would land a low blow to him and Stefan. It was to show what happens when you trying digging into Damon's past. Never did he think Nilin and Elena would be connected to this.

But he was never one for regretting his actions, especially being a vampire. He'd have years to correct them, but this time there might be a few more repercussions than he planned. At the moment, it was all said and done.

Nilin's soft voice kept popping up in his head. Whenever she was happy, she would sigh and murmur to him "Can't we go back to page one and do it all over again?"

There was no going back on this one. _Now it was time for damage control_, Damon thought as he walked over and poured himself a drink.

This was his way of coping, you could say. One thing you have to understand about Damon is that he's not one for letting people in. If he had it his way, Nilin would be little more than a stranger to him, but something always seemed to pull him into her. He could have chosen to ignore it, but he didn't. So far that's proven to be a poor choice.

Everyone thought they got a second chance when Nilin came back. Truthfully, he stilled blamed himself for what happened to her. He couldn't keep his promise and keep her safe. He should have picked Nilin back up, dusted her off and sent her on her way as he walked in the opposite direction.

As justified by the events of tonight, Nilin would be better off without him. She didn't need him around, but he was being selfish. Damon needed her and so he didn't pat her on the head and leave. That would be the right thing to do, but Damon was never one for doing that either.

He knew Nilin had gone off this weekend on some sort of last ditch effort to figure things out. Did she even find anything? Well, he wouldn't know 'cause he decided to be a drunken douchebag.

She was going to surprise Damon, she had gotten dressed up for him. No one has thought about him as much as that one girl has in a very long time. She managed to overlook so much of the horrible things he's done because she swore she loved him.

Look at the all the things that he's done. She must be crazy. That was the only explanation to this all. All he did was down his doubts with the rest of his drink.

He went over to refill it, his back to the doorway. As he lifted the glass tumbler to his mouth, he heard the intake of a human breath and a heartbeat, too fast to be Nilin's. Then he picked up on the smell of alcohol and cheap cologne.

A smirk appeared on his lips.

"Are you really _that_ stupid?" he asked, finally turning around to face the intruder. He found Alaric standing behind him. Damon's eyes glanced down at the stake in his hands. "Guess so," he said, taking a sip of his drink.

He put the glass down in one movement and in the next he effortlessly sent Alaric sailing across the room. He hit the ground and slid across the floor in front of the burning fireplace. As fast as humanly possible, he got up onto his feet and got it a fighting stance.

"You gonna put down the stake?" Damon asked. Alaric's grip only seemed to tighten on the sharpened piece of wood. "Wow, alright. That's courage," he said in an unimpressed tone.

"Where's Isobel?" he stuttered out. Damon rolled his eyes as he slowly started to circle towards Alaric. We're we still going on about this? "What have you done to my wife?"

"Would you want me to tell you that I killed her? Would that make you happy?" he asked, getting closer. "Cause I think you know what happened."

"I saw you feed on her," Alaric stated, backing away from Damon.

"Yeah, I did," he confessed, slipping his hands into his front pockets. "And I wasn't lying. She was _deee_licious_._"

Alaric lost it with that last comment, he charged towards Damon. Bad move. Damon easily landed a blow to his stomach, causing the teacher to stumble back and gasp for a breath of air. Alaric fell to his knees.

"Oh come on," he pushed, taking a step towards him. "What do you think had happened? Not even an inkling? Never considered the possibility?" Damon questioned. Alaric didn't seem to be getting it. "I turned her," he finally declared.

"Why?" Alaric breathed out, still clutching his gut.

"She came to me," Damon raised his hands up in front of him. "All pathetic, looking for vampires. But there was something about her that I liked, something special."

"You turned her because you liked her?" Alaric asked, starting to regain his composer.

Damon narrowed his eyes at the incompetent man. "No, I slept with her because I liked her. I turned her because she begged me to," he explained. "Yeah, but you knew that too. Didn't you?" he took a step towards him again, "She wasn't happy at home, wasn't happy with life in general. She wasn't happy with you."

Alaric started for him again, raising from his knees and diving towards Damon with the stake ready. Damon had to admit it, he didn't expect him to recover so quickly. But never the less, he easily grabbed a hold of the stake and jammed it between Alaric's ribs.

"Ah, this is a shame," Damon sighed as he held the wood buried deep into Alaric's chest. "We're kindred sprits, both abandoned by the women that we loved. Unrequited love sucks," he told Alaric as he finally pulled the stake out and let him drop to the floor. He wheezed in pain, holding a hand to the wound. "Sounds like I hit a lung," Damon said as he walked around and reclaimed his drink. "Which means I get to sit here and watch you die."

He took a seat, and watched at Alaric struggle for his last breath. Within a minute or two the sound of hissing and wheezing ceased as he stilled. Damon just brought his glass to his lips, taking another drink.

He was figuring out what to do with the body when his brother walked in, eyes darting between Alaric's lifeless body on the floor and Damon's lounged form on the couch. "What happened? What did you do?" he asked as he kneeled down next Alaric, checking for a pulse.

"Do what? He attacked me," he shrugged.

"Damon," he demanded, eyes shooting up to him.

"All I did was tell him the truth. His wife didn't want him anymore. It's not my fault he couldn't handle that." Damon explained to his brother.

Stefan grew angrier as he rocked back on his knees. "Like you handled Katherine? Like you're handling Nilin?" he asked.

Damon huffed a laugh. "I'm handling it just fine."

Stefan sat down defeated next to the body, shaking his head. "You're in denial, Damon and making a mess of things."

Damon eyed him, his jaw clenching. "You know what? Since you brought up our blast from the past, I was thinking. Isobel came to me. She found me. And if she's related to Nilin, that means she's related to Katherine. Maybe Katherine sent her to me," he posed, leaning his forearms on top of his knees. "It can't be a coincidence."

Stefan stood. "Stop it. I thought we were over this. With everything that's going on, how can you be thinking of Katherine again?"

"Who said I ever stopped, brother?" he asked before finished the contents of his drink. He pointed to Alaric's body. "I'm assuming you'll take care of this?" And before Stefan could object or say another word, Damon stood and walked out of the room.

Stefan looked down at Alaric and shook his head. If he hadn't pushed Damon so much, if he just dealt with this himself, if Alaric just listened to Stefan's warning, he'd still be alive. This would tear everything down around them, Elena, Nilin, their aunt. They'd never forgive Damon… Something suddenly cut his thoughts off.

Stefan's brow creased. He swore he saw Alaric's fingers move. He leaned closer, straining to hear anything when suddenly Alaric's eyes shot open and his body rocketed up as he gasped for air. "What happened? What's going on?" he asked frantically.

Stefan looked him over. "You were just… Did Damon turn you?"

Alaric ran a hand through his hair and over the hole in his shirt. "No, no. I went for him but then he, uh, he stabbed me," he explained with a heaving chest.

"No, you were dead. There must have been vampire blood in your system. Somebody must have slipped it to you," Stefan said.

Alaric shook his head. Stefan saw him flexing his fingers where a clunky brass ring sat. "No, It's something else," he said, looking down at the jewelry.

"Then how?" Stefan sat back, confused as hell.

Alaric was still fidgeting with the ring. He looked up at Stefan. "This ring protected me."

"That's impossible," Stefan said.

"I know," he replied.

Suddenly Stefan got to his feet. "Listen, we'll figure that out later. Right now, I need you get out of here before Damon sees that you're still alive. And please, for the time being, stay as far away from him as possible. Okay?"

"Yeah, alright," Alaric nodded. He was in no position to argue.

Stefan allowed him to quickly duck out of the house before he went up the stairs to deal with his brother.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hope everyone had a fantastic week. Here's a little something to end it. Thank you all for the new follows and reviews, I'm so grateful. Keep them coming! I want to here from you. So don't forget to _**Favorite, Follow & Review! **_

RLS

**Get the Song:**

Million Dollar Man by Lana Del Rey

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=B5H467MnzVs


	18. That Man

**Chapter Eighteen: That Man**

_I'm in a little bit of trouble and I'm in real deep  
From the beginning to the end  
He was no more than a friend to me  
The thought is makin' me hazy  
I think I better sit down  
'Cause like the sweetest serenade  
Bet he knows he's got it made with me_

_~Caro Emerald_

"Elena won't talk to me. I'm not talking to Damon and I had awkward eye contact with Stefan for three seconds as we passed each other in the hallway," Nilin went on as she leaned on the locker next to Shellie's. It was the Monday after her eventful weekend and she was exhausted.

"Sounds fun," Shellie commented as she pulled out a textbook and closed her locker. "Maybe it's a good thing you and Damon aren't talking for a little. Maybe you need a break," she said as she started down the hallway.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Nilly asked, right on her heels. Literally, Shellie was wearing black heels that made her look like a runway model in jeggings. Nilin might as well be wearing a potato sack when she stood next to Shellie, it had the same effect.

Shellie shrugged. "I don't know. He just seems a little… eh."

Nilin let out a groan, grabbing Shellie's arm and turning her around to face her. "Not you too, Shells."

"What? Come on, Nilin. You're like one of the smartest people I know, but you're dumb when it comes to him," Shellie told her. "I'm just trying to be proactive."

Something clicked in Nilin's head. Her eyes widened slightly and her grip tightened on the slim girl's arm. "Shellie, did you see something?"  
"I've got to get to class—"

"Shellie," Nilin demanded.

"I said I have to go," she repeated before jerking her arm away from Nilin and all but running down the hall, leaving Nilly standing there.

Nilin squeezed her palms together, suppressing the scream that threatened to spill out. Then she stalked off in the opposite direction. It was her lunch period, so that meant some peace and quiet. But as she went to go outside to her usual spot, she saw it was down pouring. She let another groan out as she stood by the door, students scurrying around her to get out of the rain.

"Well, there goes my lunch plans," a voice said next to her. Nilin turned to see Finch staring out at the rain with her.

"Hot date?" she asked, turning back.

"Yeah, actually," he grinned. "Come on, I guess we'll just have to find somewhere else."

Nilin realized what he had said, her eyebrows pulling together in surprise and confusion. "Wait, what?" But before she could say anything else, Finch grabbed her hand and dragged her around the corner.

He ended up taking her to one of the back stairwells of the school that no one used. It was better than having to sit in that terrible cafeteria. "Ta-da," he said as he plopped down on the landing next to her. "Welcome to El Resturante deEscalera," he smiled, causing his dimples to show. "Pretty nice, right?"

Nilin couldn't help but laugh as she stretched her legs out in front of her. "Way too fancy for my likings," she critiqued with a smirk.

Finch let out a sigh as he leaned back against a wall. "Well then, I guess this very rare meal that I had imported all the way from the minimarket down the road will just not do for the madam," he shrugged, peeking into the grocery bag he had in his lap.

"I mean, you went through all that trouble to get it, we might as well sample some of the goods." Nilin suggested as her stomach began to growl a little.

"As you wish," he grinned and tossed her something.

"Oh, a turkey club wrap. Sounds exquisite," she nodded, reading the label and unwrapping it. When she took a bite she was hungry enough for it to be. Finch was munching on his own as Nilin asked, "So, what's all this about?"

"I don't know, you've been a really good friend to the new kid and I guess it's just my way of repaying you," he explained, tossing her a warm can of ice tea.

"Well, thank you," she said. "That's very kind of you, Dimples." She had to look down at her ice tea, picking at the tab. Guilt seemed to wash itself over her. She really didn't want to burst his bubble or ruin the moment, because this was actually really sweet of him, but she didn't want to lead him on. He was a good person. He deserved better than that. "Listen, Finch…" she started. "I'm kind of seeing someone and—"

"I know," he smiled.

"You know?" she repeated.

"Yeah," he said, popping a cheese puff into his mouth. "I asked around, apparently you managed to snag the town's hunk or something. Lucky guy," he commented, dusting the orange artificial residue off his fingers.

"I'm sorry. I just didn't want to give you the wrong idea, or anything." Nilin explained.

"Hey, listen," he scooted over towards her. "I did this as a friend, just a friend Nilin. Don't worry," he promised, grabbing one of her hands. "And who knows, things might change."

"Finch…" she warned.

"Hey, I said might," he defended with a small laugh.

"Thank you," she managed to say again. He just nodded and moved away from her, releasing her hand and allowing her to free the breath she was holding. Her hand had grown warm at his touch. Nilly mindlessly rubbed her knuckles to get rid off the feeling.

"So," Finch spoke up, pulling Nilly's thoughts back to the present. "When I saw you, it looked like you were having a bad day."

"Try a bad year," Nilin laughed a little as she took the cheese puff between his fingers and ate it. The tension had easily disappeared as a relaxed atmosphere settled around them.

"Yeah, I kinda gathered that when I was peeking around," he confessed sheepishly.

"I was a very hot topic a few weeks back, I'd be surprised if you didn't hear anything about me," she leered. Nilin paused for a moment. "Wow, that sounded really conceded and bitter. I'm sorry."

Finch just laughed, "No, it's alright. I understand, you should hear what's going around about me. I'm finding out things I didn't even know about myself."

"Welcome, to Mystic Falls High School, where only biased elitism is practice," Nilin announced.

"Cheers to biased elitism," Finch toasted, holding up his ice tea can and clanking it with hers.

"Cheers," Nilin laughed as they both took a long sip. "This is nice," she said, looking around the quiet stairwell and out the glass wall to the courtyard. "I don't have many friends here, I'll have to admit."

"Want some of the ones who are clamoring to be mine?" he scoffed. Then he paused for a minute. "Now_ that _was conceded and bitter."

"Just a little," Nilin joked, bumping his leg with the toe of her converse.

"I have a plan," he announced. "How about I be your best friend, and you be mine and then this whole thing is settled."

"Hmm," Nilly thought. "Well, that depends. What do I get out of being besties with you?"

"Unlimited cheesepuffs, I'll let you cheat off me in Physics, you have access to my book collection, and I mean, come on, who wouldn't want this as a BFF?" he asked, motioning to his face.

"Ooo, what an offer," Nilin chuckled. He was damn cute.

"Well, how about me? What do I get out of this?" he asked, finishing the rest of his ice tea.

Nilin thought for a moment, "Let's see, you'll always be supplied with terrible jokes and puns that you will be forced to laugh at. I could teach you how to play the guitar; that would surely get you all the ladies. I have friends who own a book store, I'll get you a gold pass to it with unlimited access. And you've already gotten a rockin' nickname out of it, Dimples," she winked.

Finch tried his best to look like he was seriously contemplating the deal, but he was holding the tips of his fingers to his mouth to hide his grin. "Hmm…" he hummed. Then he held out his hand. "Nilin Gilbert, it's a deal," he declared, shaking her hand.

"Looks like we're best friends now," she said, running her now tingling hand through her curls.

"Looks like it," he grinned. Just then the bell rang the both of them scurried to stand up. "I'll see you later, bestie," he called as he headed down the stairs with his grocery bag. Nilly just waved to him before she headed up the other staircase. She caught her reflection in the window and stopped. A hand went to her cheeks, she had color in them. Her eyes widen. They were pink with blush and _warm_.

Startled, she dropped her hand and ran up the stairs to her next class.

* * *

Come the end of the school day, the rain had let up. Nilin hadn't heard from Shellie or Elena all day and she couldn't even stomach seeing Damon. So she decided to opt out of her usual routine of going to the book store after school. Going home and locking herself in her room sounded like a much better plan.

There was a problem though, she had gotten a ride to school with Shellie today, and Shellie was no where to be found.

"God dammit, Elena. Can you grow up for two seconds and answer your goddamn phone?" Nilin growled into her cell before ending the conversation with her sister's voicemail. Nilin huffed, pulling at her long sleeved shirt and adjusted the straps on her bag before she started walking across the empty parking lot.

Nilin made it halfway before she heard someone call her name. Turning, she saw Finch causally walking her way with a smile on his face. "Where are you off to?" he asked.

"Home, my ride decided to bail on me," she explained as he caught up with her.

"Well what kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't escort my best friend home?" he grinned, walking past her in the direction she was going. "This way, right?" he asked, before he kept on marching. "Are you coming?"

Nilin laughed and shook her head as she jogged a little to catch up to him. "You don't have to. I think I can make it a couple blocks by myself."

"Nonsense, this is one of the best friend perks," he told her, nudging her with his elbow.

"Do you even live down this way?" she asked.

"Nope," he grinned. "I live down on Robert's Lane, that little blue house," he explained.

"Like I said, you don't have to walk me home," she reminded him.

"And like I said, I want to," he smiled down at her. He was a pretty tall kid, taller than Damon, and skinner. He didn't seem to have an ounce of muscle on him, but Nilin couldn't really tell under the black hoodie he was wearing.

He turned to look at Nilin and that's when she realized she had been staring at him. She quickly looked away, using her hair as a shield between them. Her gaze landed up on the clouds. "Looks like its going to rain again," she muttered awkwardly.

Finch didn't even look up, he just agreed with her. "Yeah, hope it holds out for the next few blocks."

"Afraid of a little water?" Nilin asked, a smile appearing on her lips.

"Me? No, never. I used to swim all the time when I was younger," he said, ramming his hands in the pockets of he sweatshirt.

"You don't anymore?" she wondered.

Finch shook his head, "No, things changed, I didn't really have time for it anymore."

"Oh," Nilin said, peeking from behind her veil of hair to get a better look at him. "I used to play field hockey, believe it or not."

She didn't know why she felt the need to share that bit of useless information. It had probably been over six years since she held a field hockey stick.

"I can believe it," he perked up. "You have the legs for it," he explained when he saw the confused look on Nilin's face. "I guessed that or soccer." He finally took his eyes off of Nilin and looked towards the sky.

"You're pretty observant aren't you?" she somewhat blurted out.

He just shrugged. "I guess so, it's kind of a trait I picked up over the years."

"Hmm, interesting," she mumbled to herself. Nilin remember in the beginning of her transition how she would pick up on every subtle change in the room. It used to annoy the crap out of her, but she grew use to it. Her brain had caught up with her eyes, registering every change and filing it away somewhere if it was ever needed.

"So," Finch's voice invaded her thoughts. "Have you lived in Mystic Falls your whole life?"

Nilin shook her head. "No, though I'm pretty much born and raised here. I moved away when I was thirteen, and moved back last year."

"Because your dad?" he asked. "Sorry, it's from what I heard."

She gave him a little smile. "Ah, gotcha and yeah, he passed away."

"My condolences," he said, giving her a lopsided smile. "He's in a better place though," Finch told her, which kinda made Nilin pause. He did speak strangely.

"Yeah, I guess so," she kept on with the conversation. "Anyway, I'm living with my aunt and cousins now. I was like the new kid too, well the old new kid, if that makes sense."

Finch laughed. "It does, so you share my pain."

"No, not really. See, there's a major difference. People actually like you," she smiled.

"I bet people love you," Finch told her. "You just haven't given them the chance to see you yet."

"I don't know about that," Nilly laughed as she dodged the cracks in the sidewalk.

"Trust me," he said. "I mean, from what I heard I can tell you've had a rough life. But you should use that to touch others."

"My mother use to say something just like that," Nilin mumbled, looking down at her toes still. "The day is yours, put in what you want to get out, she'd always say. Touch some, make their day better, even if you're having a bad one."

"Your mom sounded like a wise woman," Finch said, nudging her arms. "I can see where you got it from.

Nilin laughed. "She was. What about your parents? Do you mind if I ask?"

He shook his head, "Not at all. My parents are divorced. I haven't seen my dad in what feels like decades," he laughed a little. "I was staying with my mom until my grandmother got sick, hence the move to a small town."

"Right," Nilin nodded. "Well, it looks like we've both have had tricky childhoods," she observed.

"Yeah, but we came out pretty okay, don't you think?" he asked and Nilin peeked up at him to see him smirking. They started to laugh.

"I used to make up stories when I was younger," Nilin told him. "I always pretended I had superpowers. For some reason, it helped."

He chuckled a little, kicking a rock with his sneaker. "What superpower did you have?" he wondered.

"The power to heal," she said, not needing more than a second to remember. "I always wanted the power to heal people."

"That's a good one," Finch agreed.

"What about you?" she asked. "What would your power be, Dimples?"

He smiled, looking up at the sky. "Hmm… I would want the ability to shoot lightening bolts out of my hands," he finally answered. "Wouldn't that be cool?" he mused, looking at her.

She felt like she wanted to answer literally, because, yes, yes she has shot electricity from her hands and no, it wasn't cool.

"Did I say something?" Finch asked suddenly.

"Hmm?" Nilin's head perked up, she looked at him. "What? No, what do you mean?" She ran her clammy hands against her jeans, hopping he didn't notice.

"Well, as you pointed out, I'm observant and I notice that you do that a lot," he explained to her, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

Nilin looked up at him. "Do what?" she asked.

"You get quiet all of a sudden, your expression falls, your face gets hard and a lot of the times you squeeze your right hand into a fist. It's like you go off into this far away place," he explained, coming to stand right in front of her.

"Oh," was all she managed to say, her throat was suddenly very dry. No one had ever explained it so accurately. "I get pulled into my thoughts sometimes," she said. "I had an, um, an accident at the end of the summer. Sometimes things just come back to me." Nilin tried her best not to sound like a nut.

"Well, is everything okay now?" he asked. Nilin heard the tinge of concern in his voices as he swept her curls over her shoulders.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm a lot better," she gave her best attempt at a smile.

"Good," he said with a grin. "You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. I understand," he promised her, his hands returning back to his pockets.

"Thanks," she laughed as they started to walk again. "I hope I didn't freak you out or anything."

He just shrugged. "We've all fallen down the rabbit's hole every now and again. Besides, who says there isn't anything screwy in my noggin either?" he questioned.

"Good point," she grinned. "Um, this is my house." She pointed over her shoulder. "Thank you for walking me home."

"Anytime, Nilin. I'll see you tomorrow," he said, before turning around and walking back down the sidewalk. Nilin watched him for a little before she scurried into the house and up to her room.

The first thing she did was go into the bathroom and look in the mirror. It had happened again, she had color in her usually pale cheeks. When she touched her fingers to the skin this time, it was hot.

Then Nilin noticed something else. She held her breath and listened. Her heart, it was pulsing faster. She could hear it. When she put a palm to her chest, she could feel her heartbeat. Nilin looked back up at her reflection, with wide frantic eyes. "What the hell is going on with me?"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **

Hey guys! Next chapter! I'm really trying to pump a bunch of these out faster. I know I've been slacking. Tell me what you think about our latest friend, I'd really like to know your thoughts. I'll see you soon! xoxo

_**Favorite, Follow & Review**_

RLS

**Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Shellie's Outfit: /chapter_eighteen_shellie/set?id=134927186&lid=3742036

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_eighteen_nilin/set?id=134927110

Finch's Outfit: /chapter_eighteen_finch/set?id=134927250&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

That Man by Caro Emerald

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=i4JqrccUSYQ


	19. Same Disease

**Chapter Nineteen: Same Disease **

_This attraction, we are not getting well  
It's a fever I share, it's a plague you feel  
Separated, I am quick to resist  
I am all alone infected with this  
I am immune to you, you're immune to me  
We are both sick souls with the same disease  
__It's infecting me, it's infecting you  
__I'm running sick just like you_

_~Red_

The next two days weren't much different. Nilin went through the motions with little to no communication between her and Elena. Damon had left several drunken rambles of voicemails on her phone. Stefan tried to get Nilly to go talk with him, but she warned him that it wasn't good timing. She didn't want to have another incident and neither did any of them.

Shellie kept her distance from Nilin at first, but then she finally came to Nilin after their second period class together and apologized for what she said. Shellie explained that she didn't mean it, and that she was overacting to a little vision. Nilin dropped it because she didn't feel like arguing with her and because Nilly was beginning to feel a bit lonely.

Finch kept most of her company. He'd always smile and wave at her while they were in the hallway, even if he had a group of his friends around him. And of course they had lunch together. That day in lunch though, he seemed to be acting strange. He kept his hands clasped on top of the picnic table and didn't touch his food.

Finally, Nilin put down the book she had been reading and sighed. "Everything okay, Dimples?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he perked up and tossed a grape at her head. It bounced off her temple and fell to the floor, rolling under the table. "So how has your day been?"

"Peachy," she answered him. "I mean, Elena still hates me and I haven't spoken to my boyfriend in over four days, but at least the sun is shining."

She seemed to be able to talk to Finch without feeling self-centered or annoying, no matter how much she vented and complained. It also helped that he always ended up making her laugh afterwards.

Finch faked gasped. "You used the b-word," he pointed out with a grin.

"So?" Nilin mumbled. "I mean, that's what he technically is, right?"

"I guess so, it's just the first time I heard you refer to Demon as that," he explained.

"It's Damon," she corrected. "And it's complicated."

"I like Demon better," he smirked. "Maybe you should talk to him, can't hurt anything." His shoulders bobbed with a shrug as he put his head down on the picnic table, using his arm as a pillow.

Nilin huffed before popping another grape into her mouth.

She missed Damon— a lot.

Like _a lot_ a lot.

But not talking to him was her idea of fixing things. Actually, it was just her pathetic way of protecting herself— creating distance meant it didn't hurt as much. This was Nilin, justifying her actions. She was doing the right thing; letting the air clear, licking the wounds, being the bigger person. This was the good. _Right?_

"You don't have to be right all the time," she mumbled to Finch as she picked up her book again.

"It's what I'm good at," he told her, voice muted by the sleeve of his jacket.

"Yeah, that and apparently dating advice," she smiled, flipping the page.

He popped his head back up to look at her. "Well, you know what they say, the people who give the best relationship advice tend to be single themselves," he shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

She looked over the leather bound book in her hands. "Oh, come on, there's gotta be a girl in this school that's caught your eye by now," Nilin pushed.

"There's one," he said with a lopsided smile. "But it's complicated." Finch kept his eyes on her; one blue, one green. She had to look away. He had used her words against her.

A weird feeling started to roll around in her gut. The conversation went dead as she stuffed her mouth so she wouldn't have to fill the silence. Finch must have picked up on that. He tapped his finger on the book she had stuck her face in.

"What's this old thing?" he wondered.

Nilin closed it quickly. It was the book Dr. Merrick had given her. Finally building up enough courage, she had opened it the other night to skim through. It hadn't left her side since. "Uh, just something I found. It's not that interesting."

"Oh," Finch bobbed his head. "Well you looked pretty captivated by it just a minute ago," he pointed out.

"I was doing something to fill this awkward silence that you created," Nilin said, arching an eyebrow.

He laughed. "I'm good at doing that."

She shook her head, putting down the book and opting to take a bite from her sandwich. "I've noticed," she mumbled.

Finch sat up, stretching his long arms over his head, letting out a little grunt. "Ever think about dying?" he suddenly asked her.

Nilin swallowed the mouthful of sandwich hard before she spoke. "There it is," she laughed. "What are you going on about?"

"Ya know, like how you want to go out?" he explained. "Me, personally? I want it to be a noble death, die for someone I love. I want it to be epic."

A cold chill had come over Nilin. This conversation was hitting way to close to home for her liking. She cleared her throat as she put the half eaten sandwich down. "Yeah, me too," she stuttered out.

"And then when it's all over I want to be told that I did my job. I accomplished the one thing I was put on Earth to do, whatever that may be," he continued on, looking up at the sky. "I wonder what's really after this life," he said, bring his eyes back down to look at her.

It felt as if ice had slid down her back. She no longer was hungry and she could feel her lunch in her throat. "Yeah," she repeated. "Me too."

"I don't know, maybe we'll find out one day," he said. Nilin felt like she was going to be sick. She suddenly stood up.

"Hey, where are you going?" Finch asked.

"I just remembered I had to speak with Ms. Lindee. Um, I'll talk to you later, okay?" she told him, backing towards the doors of the school.

"Wait," he called before she could reach them. "Let me walk you home again, today," he said with a smile that would make any girl swoon.

"Okay," she agreed.

"I'll meet you out front," he told her. Nilin just nodded and bolted back into the school. She went by Ms. Lindee's room, hoping to hide out there for the remainder of the period, but her room was dark. There was still twenty minutes left of lunch, which Nilly decided to spend in the girls' bathroom. She really did feel sick. Another headache started to seep into her brain, only making the nausea ten times worse. Having a toilet near by was better safe than sorry.

Nilin didn't think she could get sick anymore, but this was making her question that. She was just getting herself worked up. After pacing back and forth, concentrating on her breathing and splashing cold water on her face, she started to feel better.

She didn't understand this reaction though. It seemed unwarranted. Either way, she went through the rest of the day with Finch's question in her head. The things he said sometimes made Nilly think he could read her mind. It was starting to freak her out a little.

She managed to duck from class to class without seeing him until the end of the day. After a very tense last period with Mr. Saltzman, who seemed to be eyeing her the entire time, Nilly scrambled out of the school. As she came out of the doors she spotted Finch, causally leaning against the wall with a group of girls around him. Her stomach dropped and she wasn't sure why.

As Nilin got closer, she recognized the blonde ringleader giggling next to him. She tried to turn and walk the other way but he had already seen her. "Nilin!" he called.

She stopped and turned back around, a sheepish smile on his face. He was saying goodbye to his groupies before he ran up next to her, hooking his arm with hers. She was just able to catch the scowl on Caroline's face as Nilin headed the other way with Finch.

"What was that all about?" she asked, as they started across the parking lot.

"Do I sense a tone of jealousy in your voice, best friend?" he grinned.

Nilin rolled her eyes. "_Nooo_, I just saw you fraternizing with the queen of mean, Caroline Forbes."

"Was that the perky blonde one?"

"Yeah," Nilly said, elbowing him. "She hates me."

"But she said she was friends with Elena." Finch questioned.

"She is, go figure," she shrugged.

"Well, they were inviting me to a party this weekend, wanna go?" he asked her, sticking his hands in his jean pockets.

"I think they were inviting you to go with them," she explained as she looked up at the cloudy sky.

"I know, but imagine their faces when I show up with you?" he laughed.

Nilin shot her elbow at his side again. "Ha, ha, hilarious."

As they started down the sidewalk, Finch started up the conversation like he usually did. "So what did you have to talk to amazing Ms. Lindee about?"

"Extra credit," Nilin told him. She shifted the bag on her shoulder so it sat more comfortably on her sore muscles as they walked.

"Extra credit?" he laughed. "Why do _you_ need extra credit?" Finch kicked a pebble in front of them. "Don't you have like a hundred and twelve in that class?"

She just shrugged, kicking it farther. "You can never be too safe."

His laughter grew, making Nilly smile. "You know," he said, turning towards her. "I think you're a lot like me," he told her.

"What makes you say that?" she asked as she watched the pebble roll back and forth in front of them.

He just gave her an all knowing grin and shrugged. "Just a feeling I have."

The conversation lapped back into comfortable silence, as they took turns punting their pebble down the sidewalk. She couldn't help but peek over at Finch as they walked. He walked like he knew the secret of the world. There was something about that that made Nilly weary of him sometimes.

When they made it to the front of her house he stopped and looked at her. "So, you, me, cheap kegs of beer, what do you say?" he asked.

"I don't know," she sighed, looking down at her converse.

"Come on, I'm giving you an opportunity to take a break for a little, have a little fun," he nudged her.

Nilin couldn't help but smile. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

"Well, that isn't a no. We're making progress." Finch said. "Listen, Nilin," he smiled, placing one of his hands on her arm. "I know I said you didn't have to tell me anything you didn't want to, but if there's something that I can help you with, I want you to let me know."

She placed a hand on top of his. "Thank you, Dimples. But with what I'm going through, I don't thing anyone can help me," she told him, running a thumb across the back of his hand.

"You don't know that though," he smiled. "We all have secrets Nilin," his eyes seemed to spark at those words. "You just gotta wrestle them out of the dark and into the light."

"Good advice," she laughed a little. "You're a good friend, Finch."

"And you're an incredible person, Nilin," he said to her, his hand slipping from her arm. "I'll see you tomorrow," he grinned before walking away. Nilin let out a shuddered breath before she turned and went inside.

She bounded up the steps. She had too much on her plate at the moment to try and decode Finch's words, but one thing was for sure; there was something off with that boy. Nilin wanted to find out what.

Locking herself in her room wasn't going to help her head much. Nilin needed to talk to someone. She ended up at Jeremy's door, since he was the only one home and only one that seemed to want to talk to her. "Hey," she said, walking over and making herself comfortable on his bed.

He turned around from his desk and shook his head. "What do you want?" he asked, returning to whatever he was doing.

"Not that attitude," she answered. "I'm not allowed to talk to my little cousin?" she questioned him, propping her elbow up and leaning her chin on her hand.

"Fine," he mumbled. "I'm sorry."

"Why so snippy today?" she asked. "Don't tell me Elena's recruited you to the I Hate Nilly Club."

"No, but she did tell me something interesting today," he remarked, turning back around to face her.

Nilin sat up on the bed, "Go on?"

"Well, I was attempting to catch up on homework, when she came into my room and asked to talk," he went on. "She took me out to that lake we all used to go to when we were younger and she told me about the adoption."

In response, she just gaped at him. "She told you? Without me?" Nilin repeated. "Why wouldn't she tell me? I would have been there too."

"She said you wanted nothing to do with this and that she was helping get one thing off your plate," Jeremy added.

"She told you everything?"

"All of it," he nodded. "Yeah, she mapped out the whole thing for me."

"Unbelievable, that sister of yours is unbelievable," Nilin shook her head.

"Well, I guess technically she's not my sister," he said, laying his arm across the back of the chair.

"Yes, she is. Family doesn't mean blood, that's just a technicality. It's the people who love you, the people who have your back. You're her brother, and she's your sister, that's all that matters." Nilin told him.

"That's exactly what she said," he grinned a little. "So, this doesn't bug you?"

Nilin shook her head, "I've been through enough stuff that it takes a lot to bug me. No matter what happens, you'll always be my little cousin that I played army with in the sandbox."

"Good," Jeremy smiled. "Just making sure you know that," he told her.

She eyed him, "Since when did you become all mature and sophisticated?"

"I don't know, maybe since you went MIA," he smiled. She loved that smile, it was untouched by all the shit that their family had gone through.

Rolling her eyes, Nilin threw a pillow at him. "Watch it."

He easily caught the pillow she chucked at his head, laughing. She might not technically be a Gilbert, but she was raised by them, and she still saw so much of herself in Jeremy. And she knew he was a good kid.

"So, who was that guy outside?" he asked, smirking.

"What, are you spying on me now?" she accused, grabbing the pillow back from him and holding it in her lap.

"I just happened to pass by a window and caught an interesting sight on our front lawn. Thought I'd ask," he shrugged.

"He's a friend, Jere." Nilin informed him. "Just a friend."

"So you and Damon are still a thing?" he asked.

"We are… something," she explained. "Why do you care? What's with the gossip?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

He shrugged. "No reason."

"Don't try that with me, spill. Now."

"Don't rat me out, okay?" he warned, before dropping down and pulling something out from under his bed. Nilin recognized the green journal.

"Is that Elena's diary?" she asked, snatching it from him. "What the hell Jeremy? Why would you take this? What's wrong with you?"

"She's hiding something from me, Nilly. I'm trying to find out what," he explained, trying to reach for it back. Nilin promptly moved it out of his reach.

"So you read her diary?" she smacked him over the head with it. "It's probably just about the adoption," she explained. Who knows what Elena could've written down in that thing, who knows what Jeremy could've read.

"No, more than the adoption. Remember the night of the Duke party? I passed out," he went on.

"Yeah, you were drunk." Nilin said. She was standing now, the green journal tucked under her arm.

"I was drinking, but I wasn't drunk. My memory of that night is a little hazy. I was with my friend Anna one minute and the next I'm waking up on the ground," he pointed out. "There's something missing and I know Elena knows what."

"Sounds like you were ruffied, you should take that up with Anna not your sister's journal!" Nilin exclaimed, wanting to hit him with the stupid thing again.

"I wasn't drugged, Nilin. Come on, just help me out here," he begged.

"No, I want no part in this," she explained. "I can tell you now, that Elena is hiding nothing from you, so give up on your pointless search, or else."

"Or else what?" he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Or else Elena finds out where this," she waved the dairy in the air, "has been, understand Jeremy?" Then she turned to walk out of the room.

Before she could slam the door on him he called, "Maybe you're hiding something from me too." Nilin gritted her teeth and nearly ripped the door off its hinges when she closed it.

She went to stalk off to her room but stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Elena standing at the top of the stairs. "Hey," Nilin said meekly. "You hear all that?"

Elena didn't answer, she just walked by Nilin, taking her journal and slamming her door in Nilin's face. "I'll take that as a yes," she sighed.

"What's all the banging going on?" Jenna asked, coming up the stairs.

"Ask princess and sunshine," Nilin called over her shoulder as she went into her own bedroom, closing the door forcefully.

She was hot, her skin felt damp and tingling. There was too much building up inside of her. It was dangerous. Nilly went over and wrenched open her window. The cool air hit her, doing the trick in calming her down.

Nilin sunk to the floor right there, leaning her head back on the wall under the window. She squeezed her eyes shut and just breathed. It was her attempt to stop herself from screaming.

This was the avalanche of what she's been holding back. It was falling, covering, crushing everything in its path. Nilin could feel herself suffocating. Short bursts of air came in and out of her nose. Her chest ached painfully as she rocked back and forth.

There was someone knocking on her door. "Go away," she shouted, not moving from her spot. The knocking continued. "Leave me the hell alone." It stopped. Nilin pulled her knees to her chest, constricting them with her arms and burying her head.

She could feel her heartbeat throughout her body, it pounded in her ears. She focused on it. It reminded her that she was living, not fully alive, but living. Nilin just wanted her life back.

She wanted to go back to when she didn't doubt Damon's feelings for her, when he said he loved her and she knew he meant it. Lately, Nilin didn't know anymore. She wanted her sister back. All she and Elena did was laugh and joke, now all they did was fight. She wanted back the simple friendships she's come to love. They had been tainted and stressed because of all that was happening.

The thing that meant the most to Nilin in life was the people she loved. She didn't know what to do when they weren't around. It was breaking her down.

Things aren't supposed to be this way. This was the thought that ran rampant in her head. People are born and they live, whether it be eighteen years or eighty, and then they die. And when you die, you stay dead. That's how Nilin was raised, like every other ignorant person on this planet.

She should be dead.

Nilin picked her head up. Rubbing her eyes, she let out a frustrated growl. Goosebumps had popped out up all over her skin as the cold air blew in from her window. Her head fell back against the wall, hitting it with a thud. She wiped wetness off her cheek, not even realizing that she had been crying. She was so tired of crying.

The chime of her cell phone went off above her head. Nilly flopped her hand onto the nightstand next to her and felt around for it. Wiping her eyes better, she pressed the home button and the screen lit up. She had gotten a text from Magnolia.

_To: Nilin _

_ Team meeting. Book store. Now. _

Nilin sighed, tossing the cell phone on her bed. It took her a minute, but finally Nilly convinced herself to stand up and go.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! I'm back with an update. More Finch/Nilin action going on, been getting a lot of questions about them. I guess you just have to wait and see. Let me know your theories and what you think! See you soon.

**FAVORITE, FOLLOW & REVIEW**

RLS

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**Get the Song:**

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=pS4UafLcs1s


	20. When It Rains

**Chapter Twenty: When It Rains**

_And when it rains, on this side of town it touches everything.  
Just say it again and mean it, we don't miss a thing.  
__And when it rains, will you always find an escape?  
__Just running away from all of the ones who love you,  
__From everything you made yourself a bed  
__At the bottom of the blackest hole and  
__You'll say that you don't want to see the sun anymore_

_~Paramore_

When she made it to the book store, the sky had opened up over them again. She scurried into the store, looking for cover from the rain. Even though she raced across the street to get out of the downpour, Nilin was still soggy. The smell of rain filled her nose, the crisp scent to the grass and the dampness of old wood.

The bell sounded above her as she walked through the door. Nilin stripped off her hoodie and tossed it on to the front counter. There was no one on the first floor, so she went up to the second. Talking the steps slowly, she shook her hair out and took in a deep breath.

She could already feel the nervous tension coming from the second floor. Everyone was up there waiting for her. Elena and Stefan were standing off in one corner by themselves, throwing glances at Damon who was looking out the triangular window. Shellie was laying on the floor, combing through a book and Mags was lounging on one of the couches with Lee-Roy, who jumped up and ran to Nilly when he saw her.

Nilin scratched the top of his head. "I'm here, sorry."

Elena turned to her. She had her hands folded over her chest. "What took you so long?" she asked. It was the most she'd spoken to Nilin in the past 24 hours, progress she supposed.

"I was having a mental breakdown," she answered humorously. When she saw the concerned eyes turn her way, Nilin just shrugged them off. "Zero out of ten, would not recommend," she commented sarcastically, plopping down on one of the couches with a sigh.

"You seem stable enough now," Shellie chimed in, popping up. "So, let's start this thing."

"What is this exactly?" Nilly asked. She pulled her legs under her, making room for Lee-Roy to hop up and lay next to her.

"Well, since no one is currently talking to each other, Mags and Elena thought it would be a good idea to call a meeting and clear the air," Shellie explained.

Nilin and Damon snorted simultaneously at how stupid that sounded.

"Good luck with that," Nilly said, watching Damon's leather clad back. He never turned to look at her. She really needed him too. Her heart was sinking and Nilin needed something to hold on to. But he wasn't offering her a life vest, so she tore her eyes away and gnawed on her lip instead.

Magnolia cleared her throat. She sat up on the sofa, crossing her legs. "Let's start with what Nilin and I discovered on our littler trip," she offered. God, the road trip seemed like a life time ago. "We met a lovely woman by the name of Dr. Rowan Merrick."

"A doctor?" Stefan question. He was standing next to Elena, a hand running up and down her back. Nilin thought he looked as tired as she felt.

"Well, yeah." Nilin answered. "Turns out she had a special talent of communicating with the people on the Otherside."

"She was a bit looney." Mags noted, scratching at her arm absently. "They way she talked bothered me but, I mean, she did help us out a little," Mags continued on.

"She gave me a book," Nilin took over. "I've been looking through it."

"Well, anything good?" Shellie asked as she got up and sat on the other side of her. Nilin shrugged.

"It's more about the Otherside than anything, but there's a story in there from the 1500's. It's about a witch who came across a boy. She had found him wandering through the woods," Nilin noticed that she had gotten their attention now. "His shirt was ripped and bloody and he didn't remember what had happened to him," Nilin summarized. "Long story short, this is what they believe to be the first person to come back from the Otherside."

"What happened to him?" Elena asked, her fingers brushing the hair out of her face. Nilin noticed the dark circles under her sister's eyes. It worried her.

"Uh, he went crazy," Nilin explained, not wanting to go into the details of the end of the story. It was a bit gruesome. "The witch, she ended up having to kill him."

The room grew quiet. They all looked around at one another as an uneasy feeling settled over them. Damon finally spoke up. "I don't believe in any of those witchy tales," he said, turning around. "No offense," he said to Magnolia with a smirk, "but they're usually a load of bullshit."

"No, you're right," Mags said. "I mean, it's interesting, but I wouldn't check into a psych ward anytime soon. Besides, you're getting better. Tell them what you remembered."

"You got your memory back?" Shellie asked, bouncing a little.

"Well, not all of it. It was just a flash, I can barely remember all of it now," she explained. Nilin could see the disheartening expressions the popped up on their faces. Her chest started to hurt. "But I know why I am the way I am now," she continued. "I'm in between," she furthered. "I'm not fully alive, and I'm not fully dead." Even Damon seemed interested in this. "That explains my heartbeat, the reason I'm paler and colder, all of it. It's all very technical."

"That's all you got out of it?" he asked, taking a step towards the rest of them.

Nilin didn't look up at Damon as she spoke. "That's all I remember. Trust me, I wish there was more."

"Dr. Merrick also told us about the choice they supposedly gave to Nilin, it's a part of their tradition." Mags said.

"The choice?" Damon questioned looking towards her.

"Apparently, throughout the ages there have been other people like Nilin who they give the choice to either say or leave," Mags filled in. "And apparently, most chose to stay."

"Unlike me," Nilin explained. "Tell them about the message." She was beginning to feel sick again. Her palms were starting to get clammy and it felt like someone had turned up the heat in here.

"They had a message for us, well her, that we were able to get because of Dr. Merrick," Mags explained for her. "It seems that Nilin is some sort of profit or something."

"That was all in the book she gave me. The only reason why people come back from the Otherside is if they have a purpose. Whoever's over there uses others for their own pet projects. It's their way of keeping balance."

"What major imbalance is coming to the town of Mystic Falls?" Damon asked.

"Who the hell knows," Magnolia shrugged, standing up. She walked past Nilin, ruffling her hair, as she went.

Nilin shook her head, combing her hair back. "Well whatever it is, it doesn't look too good for me," she mumbled.

"Nothing's going to happen to you," Damon stated, his eyes shot to her. It was the most emotion she saw out of him all night.

All Nilly did was nod before she looked down. God, she missed him. She missed him so deeply that it was turning into a physical ache. It scared her, how much she relied on Damon. Even though she hated to admit it, because it sounded so pathetic, just being in the same room as him right now was enough to calm her.

"Of course not," Mags said, going over to the one window. "We just need to decode it." She pushed on the wooden frame, cracking it open. Cool air slowly began to filter in, bring the smell of rain with it. Magnolia winked at Nilin.

Nilin smiled for a moment, giving her a thankful nod, before she spoke up again. "I didn't tell you, Mags, but on the car ride back, while I was driving and you were asleep, I remembered something."

Magnolia stuck a hand on her hip, narrowing her eyes at Nilly. "Really?"

"It was weird, I was driving and you were snoring, then I passed a road sign and suddenly I could remember this whole conversation clearly."

"Well, don't keep us waiting, beautiful," Damon said, pulling her attention back.

"It was Bree, who helped Christian," Nilin continued, her vision unfocused as she spoke. "Georgia, Bree. She was working with him the whole time, they had a deal. She would keep tabs on me, and keep me out of the witches' sight if Christian would kill you for her," she told Damon, looking up at him.

She saw the stricken look that came over his face.

"Why? Why kill Damon though?" Stefan asked.

Nilin shook her head, having to clear her throat before she could speak again. Shellie ran a hand up and down her back as Nilin struggled to remember what Bree had said. "She was best friends with your friend, Stefan. The one Damon killed."

"Lexi?"

"Yeah, yeah that's her. It was a revenge thing." Nilin explained, peeking her head up at Damon. "You don't have to worry about extracting your own revenge, I'm pretty sure Christian ripped her heart out. He told me that she was a loose end."

"Is there anything else rolling around in there?" Shellie wondered.

"It's weird," Nilin explained. "It feels more like a dream, as if it didn't really happen. I can just remember being so cold and tired, but I was okay because I was alive and I knew he wouldn't go after anyone else as long as I was alive. But of course we all know how the story ends, you all came after me."

"Nilin—" Elena started in that disappointed way.

Damon cut in though. "What were supposed to do, Nilin? Huh? Let you leave and not try anything to get you back?" Damon asked, anger slowly bubbling up in his voice.

"Yes!" she yelled at him, shooting up from the sofa. "You guys would have been okay, you guys could've moved on. You would have lived without me."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, angel, but that's not how things work. You don't walk into someone's life just to walk right back out," he explained, coming toe and toe with her. Nilin glared up at him.

"Well, you got what you wanted. I'm still here, aren't I?" she said.

"Okay, okay," Mags said, standing. "I think everyone needs to take a breather and back up." She took Nilin's arm and pulled her back to the chair. "We can't change the past," Magnolia spoke. "You're here, we're all here. And we should be grateful for that, not ripping each others throats out."

"I'm sorry," Nilin whispered, dropping onto the sofa. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to keep it together."

"We all are," Elena said still standing on the other side of the room, rubbing the back of her neck as if it was sore.

"Things are starting to come back to me, and I don't fully understand them. It's so frustrating." Nilly said. "It's getting to me."

"We haven't really been the most helpful though," Stefan said, as he sat down on the couch in front of her.

"He's right," Elena said, perching herself on the arm rest. "There's so many things pulling our attention and we let them."

"It's okay," Nilin said, her voice scratchy. "I had a nightmare last night," she revealed. "Well, at least I thought it was a nightmare, but when I woke up I realized it was memories."

"What were they about?" Elena asked. Her cold demeanor was finally starting to melt. Nilly knew that this was killing Elena just as much as it was killing her.

"It's not a lot," Nilin admitted, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up. "Just this one part is clear, almost vivid now."

"What is it?" Damon asked. He seemed to be cracking his hard exterior too, which surprised Nilin since he just go done screaming at her.

Nilin looked up at him, a sad smile on her lips. "I remember saying goodbye," she spoke softly. "I remember laying in the grass and feeling so loved and so safe." Nilin had to pause, getting choked up. She shook her head a few times, trying to snap out of it. "I remember closing my eyes as if I was just going to sleep and hearing Damon's voice… and that's it," Nilin explained. "It was as if I just fell asleep"

Elena came over and crouched down in front of Nilin. She took Nilly's hands in hers, squeezing them. It was exactly what she needed, it was human contact, it was comfort. "You are loved, Nilin, deeply and wholly. Just look around this room," she smiled a little. "You were right about what you said the other night. Our lives are messed up, and I'm sorry for that. I'm sorry I've pulled you into more of this then I should have."

Nilin smiled, returning the squeeze to her sister's hand. "It's okay," she said quietly. "I'm sorry too, for not telling you about the whole thing with Isobel. I didn't want to believe it."

"I know," she laughed softly. "Stefan talked me off the edge, I understand it more now. It's just hard."

"What happened between Damon and Isobel happened two years ago," Nilin pushed. She didn't know whether she was trying to convince Elena or herself. "If we break at every ghost that comes back from Stefan and Damon's past then we might as well give up now. That's over a hundred years of victims, Elena."

"You're defending him, again," Elena bit out.

"I know am I, just like you would defend Stefan," Nilin said. "I know what he did, but sometimes you just have to forgive people because you want them in your life." Nilly glanced behind Elena, to where Damon was standing. His dark eyes were on her, a solemn look on her face. Butterflies erupted in her stomach.

Elena looked down at their interlocked hands. Nilin watched as she let out a shuttering breath before she spoke. "Okay," she said. "I understand," she looked up at her. "I can't say I forgive, but I can tolerate."

Nilin stood, pulling Elena with her. Her arms went around Elena's neck as they squeezed each other. "I'm sorry, I was being so terrible to you," she mumbled in to the crook of Nilly's neck.

Nilin laughed. "It's okay." She didn't let her go though, she didn't want to stop hugging her. Nilin needed to feel like she was standing on solid ground.

"Awe, I love it when everyone gets along," Shellie blubbered next to them. "Everything's going to get better soon," she promised.

"Is that your all knowing seer abilities talking?" Nilin asked, finally letting go of Elena.

Shellie shrugged. "Maybe."

"Well, I'd like to think this little peer mediation actually helped," Magnolia said, taking Nilin's seat next to Shellie. Lee-Roy whined and put his big fluffy head in her lap.

"It did," Elena said, bending down and hugging Mags. "Thank you."

She laughed. "Don't thank me, I was just babysitting," she winked.

Elena just smiled as Stefan came over to her, "Maybe we should go," she suggested, looking up at him.

"Sure," he said before he kissed the side of her head.

Elena nodded and hugged Nilin once more. "I'm sorry," Elena whispered again and Nilin just held her closer. Then she let go and watched as Stefan and Elena disappear down the steps.

"I should go too," Nilin said, walking over to Shellie and giving her a hug.

"I'll pick you up tomorrow morning, bright and early," she promised.

Nilin gave a quick hug to Magnolia. "Thank you, for everything," Nilin said, squeezing her hands. Mags gave her a knowing nod.

She stepped away from her to see Damon standing there. He didn't say anything, just held out his hand towards her. Of course, Nilin wrapped her hand in his. It was the only thing she wanted to do since she got here.

She felt him squeeze her fingers as they went down the stairs quietly. Damon stopped to grab her hoodie, holding it out towards her. "Thank you," she mumbled as she pulled it on, watching his features.

Damon fixed the hood over her head, the corners of his mouth turning up a little. The only sound came from the pelting of rain outside and their even breaths. She didn't know how long they stood there watching one another. "Goodnight, Damon." Nilin said, being the first one to break eye contact.

She left the book store, going out into the rain. Nilin didn't realize that he had followed her until she felt someone grab her arm and stop her. He tugged at her arm, spinning her to face him. This time she wasn't bothered by the downpour as she stood in it with Damon. For a moment Nilin thought he was going to kiss her, right there in the middle of the street, just like an ending to one of those cheesy romantic comedies. But he didn't, they were chest to chest for a moment before Damon took a step back, hesitating.

"We need to talk," was all he said to her. Her stomach did a flip.

"Yeah, we do," Nilin said, wrapping her arms around herself as a chill ran through her. "Meet me back at the boarding house," she told him as she began to feel the dampness soak through her sweatshirt.

Damon nodded but didn't turn to leave right away. Instead he lean in towards her and place a kiss on her forehead before disappearing.

Left standing alone in the street, Nilin let out a breath and pressed her palms into her eyes that stung with sleep and left over tears. Finally she shuffled across the street and she fumbled with her cold fingers to unlock the door. She started the car, cranked the heat and began driving down the street. The rain continued to fail in sheets, causing Nilin to put her wipers on full blast as she drove. It lightened up somewhat by the time she turned into the Salvatore's driveway.

Of course, when she got there, the door was unlocked. No need to knock. She walked into the living room to find Damon standing in front of a burning fire. She was grateful, the chill still hadn't left her bones.

When she walked into the room, he was staring at the flames with his back to her. Making her way towards him, she pulled her damp hair out of the ponytail it was in and tried to wrangle her curls. "Hey," she said in a rough voice as she came up next to him.

"Hey," he sighed, turning towards her. He must've noticed how cold she was because his hands went to the bottom of her sweatshirt. "Here, get this thing off," he told her, pulling it over her head. A moment later a warm knitted blanket appeared on her shoulders and Nilin gave him a small smile.

"Thanks," she said sheepishly, pulling the blanket tighter. They stood shoulder to shoulder, looking at the fire place. "So," she lamely muttered.

"So," he mimicked. Nilin heard him exhale sharply through his nose. She realized that she was holding a breath of her own. "I want to thank you." Damon finally said, "You sided with me even though you shouldn't have."

"Damon," Nilin sighed. She had turn to watch him. His eyes were straight ahead, jaw tight, arms crossed. Nilin wanted to reach out and grab his hand, but she fought against it. "Why do you always do this?" she asked.

"I'm not a good person, Nilin. I'm bad for you," he told her. "I'm always going to hurt you." There it was, that underlying doubt that was always there. She saw it constantly. It was what built up Nilin's own doubts.

"That's what this thing is all about, Damon," she pushed. "People hurt each other, but the whole point is finding the person who's worth the pain. And you're worth it," Nilin admitted. "You are, even though you won't believe me."

"Nilin," he seemed to snap at her. "Do you hear yourself? You're in this mess because of a vampire. Why would you even want to be in spitting distance of another one?"  
"Because it's not like that. I made the choice," she told him. "I chose to stay with you and accept you, I chose to roll with the punches and I chose to love you."

"Stop saying that," he growled.

"No, Damon," she shouted back, allowing the blanket to drop for her shoulders. "I won't stop saying that, I'll say it until the day it isn't true anymore. I will never stop trying to show you that you are worthy of more than just hatred."

He was in obvious distress as he started to pace back and forth, raking his fingers through his hair. She struggled to find the right words to stop this from turning into a screaming match, but anger was building up in her as much as it was in him.

He suddenly froze in his tracks. Then his eyes met hers, and he spoke the words that made it all click into place. "Don't you see Nilin? I couldn't save you. How can I stand next to you when I can't even protect you?"

She ran her hands over her face, pressing her knuckles in to her stinging eyes. "Is that what this is all about?" she asked. Nilin closed the space between them quickly, and framed his face with her cold hands. "Look at me, Damon. I am alive. I'm more than alive. Sure, there are a few kinks in the design but we're working those out. I'm real. Right here in front of you. You did save me."

He was shaking his head. His hands wrapped around her wrist. "You're in front of me now, but what happens when you finally see that this was all a mistake? What happens when you finally see what I've been trying to tell you?"

Nilin rolled her eyes and dropped her hands from his face. "I see it now, Damon," she told him. "You're arrogant, and you're abrasive, and you're impulsive. You make me question everything I do and everything I've ever done. You drive me insane, because I don't understand how you can make me the happiest person in the world and the saddest."

"Then why are you still with me?" he nearly roared. "Why haven't you ran as far as humanly possible from me?"

"Because I don't want to. Contrary to popular belief, I have the ability to make my own decisions." Nilin yelled back. He had turned his back on her though, his body ridged. "I made my choice, so just fucking deal with it."

"You don't need me—"

She couldn't help herself from shouting at him. He was so pigheaded. "You think you're bad for me but all you've been is good!"

"That's not going to last forever, Nilin," he snapped, turning towards her.

"I don't care about forever," she told him. "I don't care. Time doesn't matter anymore, so stop trying to stamp a goddamn expiration date on us!"

"I'm trying to save you from being collateral damage," he explained through clenched teeth.

"You're pushing me away, that's what you're doing and it's complete bullshit." Nilin yelled. "Quit feeling guilty about what happened in August," she demanded. "I've been trying to move forward and so should you. I did what I had to do to save my family, to save you. And this is the life I got."

"How can you say that to me?" he asked her, going over and pouring himself a drink. "This was the life you got?" he scoffed as he threw his head back and downed it.

Nilin's chest felt tight. Her anger was building higher and so were the flames in the fire place. "I didn't ask for this," she shouted at him. "I never wanted any of this! I was supposed to finish high school and go to college. I was going to get some shit pay job that I loved and a little apartment far away from this place."

"Well what stopped you?" he nearly growled.

"You, you idiot. I fell in love with you." Nilin snapped. "I came to Mystic Falls as a part of my farewell tour. I was going across the country to disappear. Never in a million years did I want to stay here, but then you bought me a drink and made me laugh. Now look where we are."

"Screaming at each other?" he asked, refilling his class.

"Fighting for each other," she corrected. Nilin sighed, feeling her anger start to melt away. The fire next to her just flickered, returning to normal. Exhaustion hit her at that moment. All at once her eyelids felt heavy and her body was weighed down by emotion. She wanted to laid down and sleep this off as if it was all just a bad dream "We've put each other through too much to give up now." Nilin told him.  
"We should get out before we hurt each other anymore," he advised quietly, but he slammed the glass in his hand down on the table. It mad her jump.

"You're right, we should," she agreed. "But I don't think I can, Damon," she admitted. Nilin looked down at the floor, feeling a lump in her throat. It came from what she had to say next. "But, if that's what you want," her heart sank, "I'd understand."

"Don't tell me you're giving me an out," Damon said as he walked around the couches to stand in front of her.

Nilin just threw her hands up in frustration. "I'm not the same girl you met at the bar once upon a time. I might not even be the same girl that you fell for…" Again she had to look away, unable to hold his eyes.

He grew quite. "No, you're not," he finally admitted. Damon was standing in front of her suddenly. He tucked his finger under her chin, forcing their eyes to meet. "What you are now is something so beautiful, so powerful. It's exhilarating. You don't see it, but there's this spark of life I see in your eyes sometimes, and it astounds me."

He spoke softly and confidently. His words created a puttering heartbeat in her chest and a hope to fill her head. It was enough to cause a toothless smile to appear on her face. Nilin needed for him to see her point, but it was hard to form a coherent thought with him standing this close.

"I'm not fooling anyone, Damon," she managed to get out. "I'm a mess right now. I'd be selfish if I didn't do this."

He laughed at her, though it was cold. "You're being selfish with me?" he shook his head. "Nilin, if I had any once of altruism in me, I would have said goodbye a long time ago. But I don't, and here we are."

"You don't see it do you?" Nilin asked, looking up at him. "Before I met you, all I ever felt was sadness," she explained, her voice soft. "But then you came into my life and I was able to let myself be happy again. And yeah, things just got messy along the way, but we made it out on the other side. You think you're so bad for me. That you'll only make me hurt, and cry, but it's not true. It's not true at all, you make me laugh, and you make me love. And that's why I'm still here, fighting."

Damon seemed to cool down even a few notches more as Nilin laid her hand on his chest. "I fought for us, you know," she continued, playing with the collar of his shirt. "I might not remember much, but I do remember that. And I will continue to fight for us, because I love you, Damon Salvatore. I really and truly do."

She held her breath as he wiped a stray tear that manage to escape off her cheek. Nilin watched as his eyes gazed over every aspect of her face as if he was desperately trying to memorize this moment. Finally, he took another step towards her, leaving no room between them, and grazed his hands over her hips.

"Say that again," he told her in a rough voice.

"I love you, Damon," Nilin repeated. She saw his eyes dart down to her lips and back up. Butterflies trembled in her stomach.

Damon was watching her. He hesitated. She saw him look down and shake his head. Her heart reacted to the thought of him taking the out and walking away, but still she stood firm. Then his eyes looked back up at her, and she saw the answer in them. The space between them was gone in the instant that his lips were on hers.

"I don't want an out, Nilin," he breathed against her lips. "I want you." She felt his hands land on her hips, caressing her closer to him. "I know I don't say it enough, but I love you and I am sorry."

She gave him a small smile. "I know," she whispered before stretching up on to her tippy toes and pushing their lips together. Her arms linked behind his neck as his fingers began to inch under her still damp tank top. Damon easily lifted her up, cupping her thighs. Nilin sighed into his mouth as she wrapped her legs around his hips.

He kissed her mouth, her jaw, her neck, and any exposed area of skin his lips could find. Her fingers ranked through his hair, egging him on. He nipped at her neck, she tugged on his hair. This was what they were at their rawest.

One wasn't better than the other, they were equals. But not equals that are tranquil and balance. None of that yin yang shit. No, they were the push and pull, the action and the reaction. They fought each other in every aspect of the word. Constantly antagonizing one another, seeing who could get closest to the edge. It was perpetual gridlock in the fight for dominance, but it kept them going.

Nilin was too busy to realize the fact that he was carrying her up the stairs. Suddenly he let her go and she fell back on to his bed. A giggle flew out of her mouth, as her hair fanned out around her, cushioned by his sheets. Damon looked at her the way every girl wanted to be looked at; loved, cherished, mesmerized.

Then he was kissing her again, his hands running down her sides, sweeping over her shirt, tracing the waist of her jeans. He pulled away from her for a moment, smiling widely. "You realize that I'm not letting you go home tonight, right?" he asked in between kisses.

Nilin just laughed and pulled him back down to her.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

This quote really sums up this whole chapter, I think. Just thought I share it with you all: "They didn't agree on much. In fact, they didn't agree on anything. They fought all the time and challenged each other ever day. But despite their differences, they had one important thing in common. They were crazy about each other."  
― Nicholas Sparks

A new chapter for you guys. I hope you've had a good week so far and I hope you guys like this chapter too. Let me know, okay? I love to hear what you guys think.  
**Favorite, Follow & Review!**

RLS

******Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_twenty_nilin/set?id=135394401

Elena's Outfit: /chapter_twenty_elena/set?id=135395785

Shellie's Outfit: /chapter_twenty_shellie/set?id=135399790

Magnolia's Outfit: /chapter_twenty_magnolia/set?id=135392939

**Get the Song:**

When It Rains by Paramore

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=UVquIywh06I


	21. Where Did the Angels Go?

**Chapter Twenty-One: Where Did the Angels Go?**

_I'm sick to my soul, I gave you control  
It feels I'm hanging at the end of my rope  
__I wanna believe that there is still hope  
__Now I'm hanging in the balance alone  
__I don't wanna be the last to know  
__Maybe I should breathe and let it go  
__Heaven better tell me where the hell did the angels go_

_~Papa Roach_

For a moment there, Nilin thought she was seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Things were going good. Everything was working out. School was a breezy. People were getting along. The dust was starting to settle over the sleepy little town of Mystic Falls.

There were a few hiccups here and there, of course. Nilin and Elena were still having fights. The arguments usually involved Damon or Isobel… or both. They'd settle down for a little— kiss and make up, have a girls night, the whole nine yards —but there was always something to set off another clash. Honestly, it was their way of letting off a little steam.

Nilin resorted to seeing Damon and not telling Elena. She only told Elena every once and a while that she was going to see him. It helped cut down on the arguments and meant fewer headaches. She didn't mind, as long as long as Elena stayed happy and Nilin got to see Damon.

And it wasn't as if Nilly could get _too_ angry at Elena. She had a right to be angry with Damon, and to be upset with Nilin for not being angry at him. Elena was only human, this was how she dealt. Nilin couldn't blame her, because Nilly wasn't dealing— she was ignoring.

She talked to Finch the most. He'd walk her home everyday after school. Even when Shellie offered her rides, Nilin would turn them down to walk with Finch. He was always sweet to her— maybe borderline flirty —but he kept his distance. Nilin was grateful for that. Damon still Damon, which meant he was protective and brash. She didn't need him killing Finch over nothing. That would be unnecessary.

It was a few days after the book store meeting, Nilin had stalked off to fourth period after another explosive conversation with Elena. Ms. Lindee didn't call attention to Nilly as she enter and took her seat. She had been in mid-rant about the mediocre writing style of Frank McCourt. Nilin looked over, excepting to find Finch in the desk next to her, grinning and with some smart comment, but it was empty.

Nilin frowned and turned back to the front of the room. She was somewhat worried about how disappointed she felt over the fact that he wasn't here. She tried to shake the feeling, but it only grew when she had to eat lunch alone.

He wasn't there the next day either. Nilin was beginning to get a bad feeling. When he wasn't in school for a third day in a row, Nilin decided to go check up on him.

After school she decided to bring him some cookies— a poor excuse to see him. She got into her car and drove through the streets of her little town. Turning onto Robert's Lane, Nilin peered outside her windshield until she spotted the little blue house Finch had told her about.

She parked on the side of the road and felt a swirl of nerves in her stomach. This was so dumb, that little voice in her head was telling her. Anyone would see right through her tupperware full of chocolate chip cookies. She wanted to get down to the bottom of this Finch fellow. Curiosity had gripped Nilin, and you know what curiosity did to the cat…

As she got out, Nilin look around. This was one of the newer parts of Mystic Falls. Most houses were still up for sale, which made her wonder how long Finch's grandmother had lived here.

Walking up the driveway, with her cookies, she noticed how plain the house looked. It didn't have the touches of a worn in home, or the little personal identities that go along with that. Despite the strange feeling in her gut, Nilin knocked on the door. Three hard bangs, then she held her breath. Sure enough, a little old lady answered it a moment later.

She had curly grey hair with streaks of white along with dark brown eyes that were hidden by layers of wrinkles. She brought a bony, pruney hand up and fixed her thick glasses. A smile came to the woman's face, showing her missing teeth. "What can I do for you sweetie?" she asked.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. I was wondering if Finch was home." Nilin said back sweetly.

Deep creases formed in the old woman's forehead. "I think you're a little turned around," she said. "It's just me and my husband here, and his name isn't Finch," she chuckled.

"Are you sure?" Nilin asked, feeling the heat of a ghost blush on her cheeks. "I was told the blue house on Robert's Lane, and this is the only blue house."

"It is," she nodded. "But no one by that name lives here. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. My mistake, sorry for the trouble. Have a nice night," Nilly said, hastily before leaving and retreating back to her car. Sitting in the driver's seat, she ran her fingers through her hair and glared at the tub of cookies now sitting on her passenger seat. It wasn't like she could call or text Finch, he didn't have a cell phone. He told her that it broke during his travels to Virginia.

This was eating at Nilin. She knew she always felt that there was something _off _about Finch, but now she wondered to what extent. How much did she really know about him? Neither of them talked about their pasts very often.

Gnawing on her bottom lip, Nilin pulled away from the house and headed back to her own. She was going to play Sherlock Holmes, or a trolling stalker, which ever way you saw it.

She knew she was just over reacting. All she need was to see on piece of validation and then she'd go to bed and forget the whole thing ever happened. This was just her paranoia carrying itself over from one life to the next. The social networking account of Finch White would easily fix that.

But there was a problem, there wasn't one. She checked everywhere. Nothing. She searched his name. Nothing. She checked public records. Absolutely nothing. Pushing her laptop away, Nilin rubbed her tired burning eyes. She hopped off her bed and began pacing the floor as she chewed on her fingernails. What was going on here? How could there be not a single trace of Finch anywhere? Was he like her, running from his past? Or was there something even more troubling behind all this?

Finally, Nilin pulled out her phone and dialed a number. "Hey, I need a favor," she said.

Damon waltzed through Nilin's door with a blue folder under his arm. "Delivery," he grinned as he walked over to her. She was sitting on the floor, legs stretched out in front of her with her back leaning against the wall. He sat down next to her. "So, wanna explain why you had me break into your school records and have Sheriff Forbs look up a," he paused for a moment to look at the folder, "Finch White?"

"I've decided to take up detective work in my spare time," she replied, reaching for the file. Damon held it out of reach. "Come on, Damon," she eyed him.

"Who's this Finch guy?" he asked, holding the folder farther away from her.

"He's a guy who just moved here, I was talking to him and something felt a bit off," she explained vaguely. She saw Damon's eyes narrow and his jaw slightly tighten. "What? Don't tell me you're jealous," a smirk came to her lips. "Damon Salvatore, feeling a little insecure?"

Her grin grew when he rolled his eyes.

"I am not jealous of some guy with the name of a _bird_," he defended.

Laughing a little, Nilin got up onto her knees and straddled his lap. She ran her fingers across the back of his neck. "Admit it," she cooed, leaning towards him. "You don't like the thought of me talking to another guy."

He just let out a breathy chuckle as Nilin traced her fingers down his chest. "Last time I checked, you were head over heels for me," he told her. "I'm not worried." A smirk appeared on his face and before she could even register it, Damon had stood and dumped her on her bed.

She fell back with a huff. "Hey!" Nilin complained, propping herself up by her elbows.

"Don't hey me, I'm not the one trying to get my way by means of seduction," Damon smiled in front of her. He turned away and started to peruse though the file. "Not that there's much here," he shrugged.

Nilin growled and slid off her bed to snatch the folder from him. He finally handed it over. "What did you find with the school?" she asked as she began to read through the papers.

"Nada," Damon answered as he lounged on her bed. "According to the records there is no one who transferred to Mystic Falls High School by that name."

"That's impossible," she mumbled, still looking down. "I have four periods with him."

"Well, then someone made a mistake."

"No, no, there's something more behind this." Nilin said, going over and taking a seat on the edge of her bed. "I've got a gut feeling about this, Damon."

"There might be something," he offered, sitting up to lean against her headboard. "While I was talking to the Sheriff, she voiced her concerns of the reoccurrence of animal attacks in neighboring towns."

Nilin eyes widened as a chill ran through her body. "Another vampire?" she bit out.

"Not sure, I told her I'd check it out. Who knows though, we might have another player in town," he shrugged. Nilin's face must have given away the terror that was bubbling up inside her, because Damon tucked an index finger under her chin and tilted her head towards him. "Don't worry about this, it's probably nothing. No ones going to hurt you again, Nilin," he promised.

She nodded her head slightly, "I know.

"Maybe I should check out this friend of yours though, just to make sure," he suggested, sliding his hand from under her chin, along her jaw line and through her hair, getting snagged in the curls.

"No, let me talk to him first before you go in swinging," she said and saw that he was about to protest. "Damon, I'll be fine. Don't be so jealous, jeeze," Nilin smiled goofily. That comment earned her a tackle from him.

A giggle tumbled out of Nilin mouth as they started to wrestle on her bed, knocking pillows off, kicking sheets to the side, rolling around like complete idiots. She managed to gain the upper hand and had him pinned, but he was just letting her win. Effortlessly he had flipped their positions and ended up on top of her, playfully nipping at her neck. "Damon," she squealed as his fingers went to her sides. "That tickles, knock it off," she laughed. "Damon," she said his name breathlessly. He removed his head form the crook of her neck and smiled down at her.

His hair was sticking up every which way because of their tussle. There was the faintest trace of color in his cheeks, and that smile that was on his perfect lips could make the straightest of men melt. And the way he was looking at her… god, she was in love. She was completely, hopelessly, stupidly in love.

Nilin realized she had been staring at him and cleared her throat. "Could you stay the night?" she wondered quietly.

A corner of his lips perked up. "You sure that'd be okay with Elena? I mean, she's not my biggest fan at the moment."

"I'll make sure my door is locked this time." Nilin told him, pulling his head down towards her and kissing him.

* * *

The next morning was school, unfortunately. Damon and Nilin parted their separate ways in the early hours— him sneaking out the window and her moping into the shower. She didn't want to face the day and the possibility of confronting Finch. Nilin wanted to stay in bed with Damon all day without a care in the world.

But that couldn't happen, maybe some day but not today. So she got ready for school with a pout on her face, figuring out the exact words she'd say to Finch the next time she saw him. Nilin thought she'd have sometime to gather her thoughts and get a handle on this. She was dead wrong.

As she walked out the front door that late October morning, there stood Finch, casually leaning on her car. She stopped in her tracks, staring at him. He was wearing a dark pair of sunglasses and his hands were pushed inside the pockets of his jeans. A small smirk came to his face as he tilted the sunglasses down, revealing his strange eyes.

"We need to talk," he called. "Feel like playing hooky with me today?" his grin widened.

Her guts did somersaults as she gripped the strap of her bag. "I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I have a test, and things and…"

Finch pushed off her car and took a few steps towards her. He just laughed a little and held out his hand. "I promise I'll answer all your questions," he assured. "Gimme your keys, I'm driving."

Nilin clenched and unclenched her hands. She could take him, if she needed to. Taking a deep breath, she nodded her head and handed over the car keys. "Fine," she agreed, watching him warily.

The idea of being completely alone with him made her anxious, and she sure as hell knew Damon wouldn't approve it. Still, he was promising her answers and Nilin could take care of herself now. She wasn't a vampire, but she wasn't a human either. She had power on her side.

Nilin kept her eye on Finch the entire time as they drove down the road. She sat in the passenger's seat without her seatbelt on, squished against the door, as far away as possible from him. Neither of them spoke. The farther they drove the more she began to feel uneasy.

When the car came to a stop at a dead end dirt road, the feeling became more intense. She watched as he turned off the car. Her jaw was locked, her teeth gnawed at her bottom lip and she could feel her stomach crawling its way up her throat. "Here," Finch said, tossing Nilin her keys before he slipped out of the front seat. "Come on," he grinned.

Cautiously, Nilin got out of the car. She stood close by, wrapping her arms around herself and staring at Finch as he looked up at the sky. "What's going on, Finch?" Nilin asked, the tension in her voice apparent.

He looked at her, running a hand through his hair. "I'll tell you, I swear, just not yet. I want to show you something first." He started into the trees.

"I don't like this," she told him. Her shoulder blades had begun to tingle intensely.

Finch turned back around to her. "I promise you I have only good intentions. I know it might not seem that way, but I care about you Nilin. I want to help," he explained.

"Help with what?" she asked.

A smiled came to his face again. "Just follow me," he said. "And clam down before you make a tree explode."

Nilin's eyes widened as she watched him turn back around and disappear into the forest. She didn't even give it a second thought as she chased after him. She quickly caught up and followed him as they meandered through the trees, keeping a careful distance. She memorized the path they were taking in excruciating details.

Finally, Finch broke through the tree line and Nilin trailed out right behind him. She took a step into the meadow and looked around. The air was squeezed out of her lungs. The world swayed around her and her knees went to buckle. The only reason she didn't hit the ground was the secure arms the appeared around her waist. "Whoa there," Finch breathed, standing Nilin back up on her feet.

She quickly recovered and stepped away from him, pushing on his chest. "Why would you bring me here?" she shouted, her hands slamming into his chest again. "How do you even know about this place?"

"Good, at least you recognized it. Saves me a bit of work," he said, removing his sunglasses awkwardly.

Nilin looked around the meadow. The long grass had started to yellow. She could remember how green it was in the summer heat. The air had been muggy that day, making her battered skin sticky. Now it was cool and crisp, chilling her nose. New trees were starting to sprout up, taking the place of ones that still laid splintered and broken under fallen brown leaves.

There was a pain that shot through her chest, and it felt as if all the warmth had drained out of her. This was where she died. This place was one thing that was seared into her memory, how could she not recognize it. "You didn't answer my question," she yelled, turning back to Finch. "How do you know about this place?"

Finch's shoulders dropped a little, as if whatever he was keeping from her was crushing him. He took a few steps through the tall yellowing grass, away from her before he spoke. "I so hoped you would have figured it out by now. I mean a man could only drop so many hints," he laughed. Nilin wasn't having any of that.

"Figured what out? That you're a pathological lying sociopath? I think I've got that now," she shouted.

"Calm down," he said soothingly.

Nilin slowed her heaving chest. "Tell me what is going on here, Finch."

"January 8th, 1944," he suddenly stated. "Can you tell what was happening on that date?" he asked her.

Nilly's eyebrows pulled together. "What are you going on about? Stop screwing around with me, Finch." She was getting angry, her chest felt tight and her hands shook.

"Just go along with me here," Finch requested. "January 8th, 1944," he tried again. "Do you know that date?"

She unclenched her jaw, feeling some of the tension leave her body, and rifled through her memory bank. "World War II, Battle of the Bugle," Nilin finally answered.

Finch smiled. "Smart girl," he said.

"What does the second world war have _anything_ to do with this?" she asked.

"Because," Finch took a few steps towards her. "That was the day I lost my life."

After all the fuming she had been doing, Nilly was speechless. She couldn't seem to comprehend what he was saying. Her eyes just stared at him as he grinned a little.

"The Battle of the Bugle," he began. "It was basically Hitler's Hale Mary, a last ditch attempt to split the Allied forces into two as they drove towards Germany. He had convinced himself that the alliance between the Allies wasn't strong and that a major attack would easily destroy it. Therefore, he ordered a massive attack against what were mostly American forces," he began to explain, placing his hands behind his back.

"I had just been drafted, barely eighteen and sent to defend our country. I found myself to be one of the many misfortunate souls to partake in the largest battle fought by the Americans. We lost over eighty thousand men, I believe. Myself being one of them."

"That was fifty years ago," Nilin mumbled, doing the math in her head. He couldn't be. She couldn't have that terrible of luck. "Are you the one who's been attacking people in the neighboring towns?" she accused. What had she done? Voluntarily allowed herself to be lured into the middle of nowhere with a blood sucking—

"I'm not a vampire," Finch informed her, cutting her thought short. "I'm offended you'd think so low of me," he grinned humorously.

"If you're not a vampire, then what's your secret?" she asked. "Fountain of youth?"

"Not quiet," he walked towards her. Nilin backed away, keeping distance. Seeing this, Finch stopped and took a few steps back himself. "Come on Nilin, use that beautiful, brilliant mind of yours and think."

"Finch—" she started but he cut her off.

"Maybe if I continue with my story it would help a little," he said before linking his hands behind his back again. "The battle started with a two hour bombardment of the Allies' lines, followed by a huge armoured attack. They had surprised us, we never thought they'd launch that massive of an assault. The weather was terrible, cold and foggy. For two days they had the upper hand, soldiers were dropping all around me. Yet the fighting grew more intense."

Finch's voice had grown dark. He cleared his throat awkwardly before continuing. "I had managed to make it to the new year; me and my closest friend. Tommy Parker from Buffalo, New York. We were in the same company. He was a medic, and of all the chaos going on I always kept an eye on him. I think it was because he reminded me of my younger brother back at home. We had each others back. You needed someone like that when you're thrust into the middle of a war, or else you'd go insane," he smiled a little.

"Tommy was only a few years older than me but had a wife back home and a newborn daughter who he had only seen through this wrinkled picture that he kept in his breast pocket. He talked about her all the time though. He would tell me of how, when he got back home, he would teacher her all about cars and how to play baseball. He wasn't going to let his daughter be no girly girl who couldn't tell a piston from a cylinder head," he laughed.

Nilin had been quietly listening to his story. His eyes kept going to the sky as if he had been taken back fifty years. She felt as if there was something caught in her throat. The more he seemed to talk, the more tears seemed to collect behind her eyes.

"The day I died, it was a nasty January morning," he continued. "The fighting seemed to be more devastating than usual. Tommy had his hands full, and I tired my best to cover him. We were under pretty heavy fire. I ended getting shot in the side and arm. I can tell you, it felt as if my entire limb had been ripped off. Tommy, being Tommy, dropped what he was doing and rushed over to me. I was in a bad spot though, no decent cover, bullets whizzing past me and I could hear the hum of something big coming. I tried to tell him to go and get out of there; he had a daughter to go home to after all, I had nothing."

"He had managed to drag me to some ruble of what I suppose used to be a building, but we were still under fire. I knew we had to get out of there. That's when the bombers arrived. The ground shook, you couldn't hear anything. I was screaming for Tommy to run, he wouldn't go. I told him I was right behind him, and pushed into the tree line. Then the first bombs dropped."

"I knew that there was no chance of the both of us making it out, but I could be sure Tommy did. I yelled to him that I was right behind him and to keep running one last time. Then I turned back around and took out as many guys I could, trying to give Tommy a chance. I still can't remember what happened after that. Everything went black, but then I opened my eyes and all I saw was white," he said, walking towards Nilin again.

This time she let him. He came up to her and brushed his thumbs under her eyes, wiping away the wetness that had gathered there. Nilly didn't even realize she was crying. He took her hand in his. Nilin looked down at their fingers.

"I didn't tell you that long, boring story to make you upset," he said. "I told you it so you would see that those rubble remains in Germany are the same to me as this meadow is to you. Do you understand what I've been trying to tell you all this time?" he asked her, his eyes shinning.

Nilin nodded slowly, sniffling a little. She looked up him finally. "You're an angel," she whispered.

And Finch smiled, showing his dimples.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
So the gig is up- in the mist of a little history lesson. Yup, some of you guessed it right. Finch and Nilin are sailing in the same boat. Tell me what you guys think, who guessed it right? Hmm? Make sure to review and I'll see you very soon.  
_**Favorite, Follow & Review!**_

RLS

******Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_twenty-one_nilin/set?id=135664280&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Where Did the Angels Go? by Papa Roach

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=pOFkteeSKa4


	22. Freak Like Me

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Freak Like Me**

_So shout if you're a freak like me, you were born to burn  
This is no disease you don't need a cure  
It's our time now to come out, if you're a freak like me  
We're underground but we will not surrender,  
We're gonna give them something to remember, yeah,  
So write your name in gasoline, and set that shit on fire_

_~Halestorm_

"Ah, the magical words uttered," Finch grinned. He cupped her cheeks and pecked her forehead before strolling through the tall grass. It all made sense now— the strange questions he always asked, the way he seemed so adamant in helping her. Even that old, wise feeling that he projected, it all clicked into place.

"Why do all this? Why pretend to be a high school student, and bring me here? Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked, following him around the meadow.

"Hi, my name's Finch. I died in World War II. Wait, don't scream, I'm just a Light Sprit. Wanna be friends?" he asked sarcastically. "I don't think that would have turned out too well."

"I've heard crazier," Nilly told him. She raked her fingers through her hair, still feeling anxious. "Why wait this long to tell me then?"

"Because," he stopped mid-stride and turned around. She nearly rammed straight into him. "You were a raw nerve when I met you. You had just gone through the transition and you needed some time. You needed a friend first."

Nilin shook her head. "You had my head filled with all these crazy theories. I thought you were a vampire, Finch. I was about to have the council go all slayer on your dumb ass, you realize that right?"

"Yeah," he laughed a little, rubbing the back of his neck. "I got a little sloppy there at then end with the whole house thing. I should have known you'd coming looking. I can see where you'd get vampire from."

"So I'm guessing you know all about the supernatural world?" she asked.

"Being a part of it, I'm quiet erudite in that subject, yes." Finch answered. "I know all about Mystic Falls and its deep dark secrets as well. Now you know why I don't particularly like Demon."

"Damon," Nilin corrected.

"Either way, don't like him. Light Spirits and Lamia are cut from totally opposite clothes, just doesn't sit well," he said. He looked like he had a bad taste in his mouth. "It must be that pesky human stuff in you that still likes him," he laughed, nudging her side a little.

"I will always be attracted to Damon, not matter what creature I transform into," Nilin defend. "You on the other hand, I don't know how I feel about you at the moment."

"Oh Nilly," he frowned a little.

"Don't, Finch. You lied to me, a pretty massive lie. Even now I don't know what to believe."

"Everything I told you has some truth to it," he swore. "I did live in a blue house with my grandmother when I was alive. Granted, she lived in Rhode Island and I moved there because my parents died when I was seventeen, but everything else I told is 100% true."

"Why are you here then?" Nilin asked.

"Mmmh yes, the big question. Why am I here?" he sighed, sinking down into the grass. He laid back, folding his hands behind his head. "Join me, would you?"

"No thanks. This place makes me sick to my stomach. I feel like a live wire here, I hope you understand that," she said, rubbing her arms. It felt as if her skin was crawling. She became aware of the dull pain in her abdomen, just below her rib cage…

"You can feel it, can't you?" Finch's voice broke through her thoughts. She looked down at him, he had his eyes closed, basking in the autumn sun. "It's a side effect, a long term one. I can still feel the bullet wound in my arm and stomach sometimes. You just gotta calm down. Your mind is so strong its taking over everything else."

Nilin tried taking a few deep breaths. "I still feel like I'm going to hurl," she muttered. Suddenly a hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her down towards the ground.

"Try lying down," Finch said, eyes still closed. "It will help you feel better."

Nilin couldn't bring herself to lay in the grass, instead she sat cross legged next to him. They were quiet for a while. "You never answered my question," she whispered, a hand clutching her gut. "Why did you come here, Finch?"

Finally he opened his eyes to look at her. Then he sighed and sat up. He took her hand that was holding her stomach and held it in his. "I was sent here Nilin, orders from the bosses over on the Otherside."

"What?" Nilin asked, pulling her hand away from him.

Again he let out a sigh and dropped his hands into his lap. "See, even though we're on the same level of freaky, there is one difference between us."

"You chose to stay, didn't you?" Nilin filled in the blank. "You're the real deal."

Finch just nodded. "I am," he confirmed. "I've been on the Otherside for fifty years now. I managed to move up the ranks in that time."

"You realize that we're just puppets, right?" her eyebrows pulled together. "The only reason why we are still here, is because some supernatural being wants us to do their dirty work."

He started to chuckle. She sounded like some sort of conspiracy theorist. "No, Nills. That's not what this is about at all," he swore. "I was told to come here and help you. They decided to intervene," he explained. "It's very rare that they do that, there must be something pretty special about you."

"I've been floundering for three months, trying to stay sane the entire time, and _now_ they decide to send someone?" she questioned.

Finch laughed. "They said you'd be skeptical… and cynical… and stubborn"

"Well, could you blame me?" she exclaimed.

He shook his head, "No, no I can't. In my opinion, this was long overdue. Hence why I gave you some time to figure this out by yourself, I thought that would be the best approach."

Nilin was shaking her head. "This is ridiculous," she muttered as she played with a blade of grass.

"Tell me what you're thinking?" Finch said quietly next to her.

"I think I'm pissed off at you. I'm angry that you kept this from me. Whoever sent you over here, I don't want them in my life. I don't want their help. I've been doing this by myself long enough."

"And how's that been working out for you?" he asked. Nilin just narrowed her eyes. "I understand why you're upset, and why you wouldn't want help, but just give me a chance. There's so much I want to teach you."

She was biting the inside of her cheek, unable to look at him. Her brain was still processing, trying to accept what was going on. Her heart hadn't stopped pounding since she got in the car with him.

"So," she started. "How much do you actually know about me?" she wondered as she pulled at the grass.

"Well, pretty much the whole thing," he answered her. She swore he looked embarrassed, as if he was blushing. "I kinda had to, to know how to help you. I guess that's why when we first met it felt like I've known you for a life time," he grinned sheepishly.

"And how does that work?" Nilin asked. She was doing her best to handle this like a business deal, she didn't want to have any feelings towards him; friendly or otherwise.

"Once I hoped over to this side, everything was just there, all in my head waiting. From how to use a cell phone to what you got for Christmas when you were ten," he explained. "It's just how it works." Finch shrugged.

She rubbed her eyes. "I'm seriously hating this shit," she grumbled. She heard Finch laughing. Nilin peeked over at him. "So, you honestly think you can help me?" her voice wavered.

"I promise you I will," he swore.

A weight lifted in her chest.

Nilin nodded, a small smile coming to her face. "So you really are a freak like me, huh?" she laughed.

He started to chuckle as he played with a piece of long grass. "I really am."

"When you asked that one time at lunch, about dying and how you wanted to go out, you weren't theorizing it, you were telling me?" she wondered, pulling her knees up to her chin.

"Yeah, I guess you can say that. I was also telling you of yours, in someway. We both died for someone we cared about," he smiled a little. "It feels good to say that now, at first it was like a big question, but now it's alright."

Nilin sighed. "It's alright,' she repeated his words and couldn't help the little smile that appeared. He was right, everything was feeling okay. "I have a question," she said suddenly.

"Shoot," Finch grinned. "That's what I'm here for anyway," he chuckled a little.

Nilin rolled her eyes before she asked. "Is another one of the side effects hallucinations?" She spoke meekly, feeling a little self-conscious of how insane she sounded.

"It is," he answered. Nilin let out something between a snort and a laugh. She covered her mouth with her hands and shook her head. "Don't worry, you're not crazy." Finch said and Nilly believed him. He looked at her all knowingly, he had gone through this too. "In the beginning I used to have conversations with Tommy in his medic uniform. They go away with time."

"Good," Nilin breathed, feeling a weight off her chest. "What about the tingling? Does that go away?" she asked, subconsciously rubbing her left shoulder blade.

"Nope, sorry kiddo. That's one thing that you just gotta deal with. Notice how it seems to be worst now?" he asked, smirking a little.

"Yeah…" Nilin said, rolling her shoulders a little. "That seems to happen whenever you're… around." Her eyes widened. "It's because of you? Is it like some angel GPS system?" she asked.

He laughed as he laid back in the grass again. "Yeah, something like that. I don't know why it happens. I feel it too whenever you're near. It's just some reaction that occurs with our kind."

"Weird…" she sighed, sinking down next to him. The earth beneath her was cold and seemed to be cooling down her body. The dry grass scratched at the back of her neck and her exposed ankles. She placed her hands on her stomach. No longer did she feel as if she was going to be sick. A tranquil wave had washed over her.

She noticed Finch moving next to her, she didn't do anything as he ran his hand down her arm and linked his fingers with hers. "Do you feel that?" he asked her.

Her senses had come alive. It was exhilarating. "What is it?" Nilly wondered, turning her head to the side to watch him.

Everything about him had changed. It was as if all this time she had been viewing him through a screen and now Nilin was really seeing him. Her body buzzed with energy. She was aware of everything around her and beyond. The glow of electricity seemed to run across their skin. Her body was so warm.

A goofy smile had broke out on both of their faces. "Neat, huh?" he chuckled. "Like I said, it's a reaction." To her disappointment, he slipped his hand out of hers and all at once Nilin was left cold.

"Wow," was all she could say. She rolled her head back to look up at the blue sky. "I have so much I want to ask you."

"Don't worry, we have time," he smiled.

Nilly popped up suddenly. "Teach me something," she smiled.

Laughing, Finch sat up. "Fine," he sighed and crossed his legs. "Constructive criticism here; you're biggest problem is controlling your energy. Frankly, you suck at it. You let it build up until it's too much for you to handle. Am I wrong?"

"No," Nilin mumbled. "But give me a little slack, I'm flying solo here."

"Not anymore," he smiled. "Now, what you need to learn is how to release a little of that energy every so often. Then you're problem is solved. It will help you get control over your emotions, and you're memory especially."

"So how do I do this?" she asked as she pulled her curls back into a high pony tail. Finch looked around for a second before standing.

"Stay right here," he said, before disappearing into the trees. He returned shortly with something in his hand. As he sat back down in front of her, he held it out towards her. He placed a dead flower that seemed to have been plucked from the ground in her hand.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked, looking down at the dried petals.

"Cup your hands," he instructed. "Then focus you power into your hands. Picture the color going back into the flower." Finch spoke smoothly.

Nilin concentrated, squinting down at her hands. Nothing was happening. She let out a frustrated huff. "It's not working."

"Here," Finch wrapped his around hers. "Now try."

Once more, Nilly focused her power and this time something did happen. The brown withered petals became a vibrant yellow right in front of her eyes. Nilin started to smile. "That's amazing," she awed.

"It is," Finch agreed, taking the flower and tucking it behind her ear. "There," he smiled.

"What else can I do?" she asked, still staring at her hands.

"Oh, so much more. This is just the beginning," he told her before he shot up from the ground. Nilin looked up at him. Finch just held out his hand. When she took it he pulled her up with him. "Come on," he laughed as he dragged her through the grass.

* * *

Nilin and Finch had spent most of the day in the meadow. He taught her the basics of being a Light Spirit; how to control her emotions, how to focus power in her fingertips, how to feel energy. He explained how, over time and with a little practice, Nilin could manipulate things around her.

"Like making things explode?" she had asked.

He laughed of course. "Yes, like making things explode." Finch said, then a smirk had come to his lips. "Like this," he said and suddenly a tree on the other side of the meadow had cracked and splintered into pieces.

Nilin had stood there awestruck. She had attempted it several times, but will no prevail. "It takes time," Finch kept telling her, patting her on the head. Nilin had just grumbled and tried again.

Eventually though, they grew hungry and the temperature grew colder. It had to be close to four o'clock by now. Nilin followed Finch back to her car, walking next to him instead of behind him this time. As they walked he told her about what things were like the past fifty years.

He told her of his first encounter with the guardians, how his parents were both waiting for him on the Otherside, and the offer he was given. Even though he already knew her story, he still asked about what she had gone through. And Nilin told him she still couldn't remember most of it. He wanted to know what she could. So she told him.

When they made it back to her car, Nilin got into the drivers seat this time. As she drove them to The Grill, she asked, "So, where have you been the past couple of days?"

From the corner of her eye she saw him rub the back of his neck. "Uh, just taking care of some things. Nothing important."

"Oh?" she questioned.

"I was taking a breather, doing some sight seeing," he laughed.

Nilin eyed him, but move on to her next question. "Where are you really staying? Since it's not that house on Robert's Lane," she eyed him.

Finch laughed sheepishly. "I've actually taken up residency in that bed and breakfast in the middle of town. Room 6, it's the baby blue door," he smiled. "I'm only there when I'm not keeping an eye on you though," he explained.

Nilin just started at him skeptically. "I still don't like the fact that you lied to me," she told him.

"I had too, I figured telling you that I was crashing at a B&B would be too suspicious. You'd never buy it," he pointed out.

"You're right on that one," she shrugged.

He just laughed as they pulled up to the Grill. Once inside and seated, they stuff their faces with French fries and hamburgers as they talked. "Why do I still get hungry?" Nilin asked. "Sometimes I can go days without eating and I'm perfectly fine, other times I'm completely ravenous."

Finch was in the middle of a bite full of burger, he washed it down with soda before he answered. "It's because you decided to come back to this side. In doing that, a big part of your humanity stuck with you— the biological part, that is."

"And it's all wacky because of the angel part, right?"

"Exactly," he said. "I don't have that problem, being a full blood and all. I don't need to sleep, or eat, or do any of that humany stuff. But, you know, when in Rome," he shrugged as he popped a fry in his mouth.

"So, am I still aging?" Nilin finally asked.

That question had been on her mind since the moment she woke back up. She wanted to ask him as soon as she realized what he was, but couldn't bring her self to ask him. She was afraid of what the answer might be.

"I was waiting for that one," he said solemnly.

"It's kind of an important fact to know, considering my lifestyle choice, if you know what I mean," Nilin explained, pushing around the remnants of her burger with a fork.

"That's right, blood sucking boy toy," Finch grinned, but she could tell it was forced. "We'll you two can start planning your future, 'cause from what I gathered you, my dear, are forever unchanging."

"Really?" she breathed. A smile threatened to split her cheeks. It felt wrong to smile, given the situation, but she was relieved. Yes, it was bittersweet news. She was still technically dead and forever frozen in time, but it was an answer to a question.

The thought of Damon popped into her mind, like it so often did. Their sentence together was prolonged. That's why the urge to smile was still there.

"Congratulations, you are forever a teenager," Finch announced humorlessly, pulling her out of her head.

Nilin's eyebrows pulled together, her smile faltered. "What's the matter?"

He shrugged. "Just another thing that doesn't sit well with me. It's not natural."

"But you're immortal too, aren't you?" she questioned.

"Yeah, but I'm also dead. You keep forgetting that I'm only here on business, nothing more. Things are supposed to live and die, and the world is supposed to go on. That's just how it is, and how it should be."

"Oh," was all Nilin could muster up in saying. She grabbed her wallet out of her bag. "Maybe we should get going."

"Oh Nills," Finch frowned. "I didn't mean to upset you," he said, reaching to grab her hand. She let him take it and stared up at his eyes. "It's just what I've learned to believe and understand."

"No, it's okay. I'm not upset because of what you said. I'm upset because I understand what you mean, and how true it is." Nilly told him. "Shit happens though," she shrugged.

"I'm sorry, kiddo," he smiled a little.

"Don't worry about it, Dimples," Nilin sighed, slipping her hand away from him and tossing the tip on the table. "We really should get going though, it's getting late."  
"As you wish," he said, already scooting out of the booth they were sitting in. He held the door open for her as they walked out into the chilly October air.

"Is there anywhere you want me to drop you off?" she asked.

He just smiled. "Nah, I'll be okay. Goodnight, Nilin." He went to turn away, but Nilin grabbed his arm to stop him.

"You never told me about what happened to Tommy," she said, not releasing her hold on his sweatshirt sleeve. He smiled again and Nilin realized how close they were standing.

"He lived," Finch told her. "He was supposed to die saving my life, but I got him out of there. He mourned me, of course, but then he went on living his life. I still kept an eye on him, I watched as he meant his daughter for the first time. I watched over her as she grew up. Tommy ended up having two more kids, the last one was a boy. He named him after me," Finch laughed a little. "And when Tommy died at a ripe old age, I was there," he said. "Good things come from death too, Nilin."

"Thank you, Finch, for sharing that with me," she smiled, her voice wavering a little. Neither of them moved away from each other, they just kind of stared at each other.

"You are very welcome," he said and slowly leaned in towards her. He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Goodnight," he whispered again.

Finally she let him go, saying a goodnight as well and managed to make it to her car with wobbly knees. When she looked back at the sidewalk where Finch had been standing, it was empty. She took a couple deep breaths before starting her car and heading home.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys! Wanna know why I've been posting so much? Because I'm in bed, sick. Haha, it's okay though it gives me the perfect excuse to spend all say writing and editing. Believe it or not, I'm very content with that. Anyway, that's why you have another chapter to read. I hope you like it. I LOVE all the recent reviews I've been getting. You guys are truly the best and I will be sure to reply to them all soon. Thank you again so much. Love you all and see you soon.

**Favorite, Follow & Review!**

RLS

**Get the Song **

Freak Like Me by Halestorm

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=GhK1QsyE8pg


	23. Gods & Monsters

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Gods & Monsters **

_In the land of Gods and Monsters  
I was an Angel, living in the garden of evil  
Screwed up, scared, doing anything that I needed  
Shining like a fiery beacon  
You got that medicine I need  
Fame, Liquor, Love give it to me slowly  
Put your hands on my waist, do it softly  
Me and God, we don't get along so now I sing_

_~Lana Del Rey_

As she pulled up to her house, Nilin noticed that all the lights on the first floor were blazing. With an uneasy feeling in her stomach she made her way up to the front door and into the house. As soon as she shut the door, a head popped out of the kitchen. Emotion flashed across Elena's face; confusion, relief, anger.

The next thing Nilin knew Elena was marching up to her, wager her finger like a crotchety school teacher. "What the hell, Nil?" she snapped. "You never make it to school and then you disappear for the rest of the day? Are you trying to give everyone a heart attack?"

In the heat of everything that was going on, Nilly had forgotten about the real world. "I was taking care of some things," Nilin shrugged off her lame excuse, walking around Elena. "I sent you a text," she pointed out over she shoulder.

"Yeah but you never answered my phone calls, we've trying to get a hold of you. We thought something bad had happened." Elena said, still hot on her heels.

"I was in an area with bad cell service," Nilly explained.

Elena caught the back of Nilin's coat, stopping her ascent up the stairs. "We'll deal with that later. Something else came up. Come on. We have to get to the boarding house," she told her, already pushing Nilly back out the door.

"Wait, why?" Nilin asked as she was prodded into Elena's car.

"Something's happened," was all she answered before she started the car.

* * *

They were pulling up to the boarding house in no time. The two girls walked through the front door to find the brothers in the living room, cleaning up broken glass.

"What happened here?" Elena started for Stefan, stopping in her tracks when she saw the ripped shirt and the blood stains. "Oh my god, are you okay?" she went for him again.

"I'm fine," Stefan sighed. "It looks worse than it is," he promised, stopping Elena's fumbling by wrapping his arms around her.

"And where have you been?" a voice behind her asked. Nilin turned to find Damon standing there, arms crossed over his chest. She felt the sting of the ice in his voice. Nilin dismissed his question, paying more attention to the adrenaline that was rushing through her veins— the broken glass and battered Stefan seeming to be the catalyst.

"Were you guys attacked? Are you hurt?" she asked, instinctively checking Damon over. Her hands went out to touch his arm but Damon grabbed them mid air.

"No," he answered harshly, holding her hands in his for a moment and then forcing this back down to Nilin's side. "Now answer my question, where were you?"

Nilin snapped her jaw shut, pulling away from him. "Taking care of things," she said, walking away from him and the conversation once she realized he was perfectly fine. Nilly went over and examined the shattered window. Her shoes crunched the glass below. It had looked as if something has busted through it, into the house. The cold autumn air blew into the room.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up and Nilin spun around. Damon was right behind her again, not more than a breath away. "We can't have a conversation like the one we had last night, and then you go off and disappear," he pushed, menacingly leaning in towards her.

Nilin let out a huff, "Damon, it's been a long day. Can we fight about this tomorrow?" She looked up at him. Nilly noticed how bloodshot his eyes were and wondered if he had been drinking.

"We're not fighting, just tell me where you were?" he asked once more with dark twitch of the lips.

"Can this wait, you two? We have more pressing issues." Elena said, detaching herself from Stefan. "You've missed a lot today," she looked to Nilly.

Damon gave her one last look before he stepped back. She brushed past him, and around the large couch to stand in front the burning fire place. Goosebumps ran up and down her arms and legs as she asked, "What happened?"

"Vampires from the tomb have gotten out," Stefan explained. "Two of them did this."

"Wait, hold on. Go back a minute here," Nilin demanded. "Tomb vampires? Like the ones from Katherine the Bitch's fake rescue?"

"Those would be them," Damon sneered.

"I thought Bonnie sealed that thing back up," she questioned, leaving the warmth of the fire to take a seat on the edge of the sofa.

"Well, something must have gone wrong." Damon answered obviously, shrugging his shoulders as he took her place in front of the fire.

"Did you know who attacked you?" Elena asked, looking up at Stefan.

He nodded. "Yeah, I remember them from back in 1864."

"Why'd they attack you though? That's what I don't understand," she frowned. Nilin could see that Elena was clearly upset about this. Maybe because she had been having the same feeling Nilly had lately, things were just getting better.

Stefan turned to his brother, eyeing him slightly. "Would you like to explain?"

A tight-lipped smirk appeared on Damon's face as he took a step towards them. "Remember our friend Anna? Well it seems that she and her mother, Pearl, stuck around town after the whole tomb escapade. And now it looks like Pearl is ring leader of the others. They've found a hiding spot somewhere on the outskirt of town."

"And you know this how?" Nilin asked, crossing her legs to stop her nervous bouncing foot.

"Pearl and Anna paid me a visit this morning," was all he answered. "She wanted to make a deal."

Nilin was leaning forward now, elbows on her thighs. "For what?"

"She wants the town back under her control," he answered, squarely looking at her. She was biting the inside of her cheek, watching him. There was something wrong about this. Pearl wouldn't make a deal with Damon unless she knew she had something to wager.

"She does realize this isn't the 1800's anymore, correct?" Elena asked. "These aren't the same people who stuck them in that tomb."

"Oh, she's pretty caught up. She came asking about council information and vervain. She has everything in order," he answered, taking his eyes off Nilin finally to look at Elena.

"What are we going to do?" Elena asked, looking to Stefan again.

Before he could answer, Damon spoke up again. "I say we go to Pearl's, knock down the door, and annihilate the ass that attacked us."

Stefan shook his head. "Yeah, and then what? We turn to the rest of the house of vampires and say, "Oops, sorry." For some reason I feel like that's not going to turn out too well."

"I can't believe you would go and make a deal with her," Elena piped in, sending somewhat of a glare at Damon.

He just shrugged and grinned indifferently. "I didn't really agree to the deal. It was more like a helpful exchange of information. And it's not like I had a choice. She's... scary," his lips perked up.

Finally Nilin seemed to have found her voice again. "What'd she offer you?" she asked. Damon's eyebrows pulled together. "You said she made a deal with you. There are two sides to a deal. You give her information, for what? What was the offer?"

Now he looked uncomfortable. Nilin looked to Elena and Stefan. Stefan was staring at the floor, which gave away that he knew the answer to this.

"Well?" Nilin pushed, standing up now. She didn't let up, Nilin's eyes burned into Damon as she waited for him to talk.

"She offered to help me get Katherine back," he finally answered. His eyes couldn't quite meet hers. "But like I said, I didn't really take the deal."

"Then what did you do?" she demanded, unconsciously closing the distance between. "Willingly give it up to her for free?" Nilin wondered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't bullshit me, Damon."

"Nilin," he warned. "I don't want anything to do with Pearl or Katherine. Believe me when I say that." She didn't answer him, her electric blue eyes just burrowed into his. "Can we fight about this tomorrow?" he asked, a slight tone of humor in his voice and the smallest of smirks.

"We're not fighting," she repeated his statement from before.

"Either way," Elena spoke up. "Damon gets what he wants, as usual. No matter who he hurts in the process."

Her words clipped both Nilin and Damon. The tone of her voice caused Nilin to feel a pain of guilt in her chest. She shot a glance at Damon wondering if he felt the same hallow ache. His eyes were glaring right back at Elena.

"You don't have to be snarky about it," Damon told her, taking a step away from Nilin to square off with her sister.

Elena leered. "I woke up this morning to learn that all the vampires have been released from the tomb. I've earned snarky," she shot back.

"Elena." Nilin warned. This wasn't the time for a cat fight between the two of them.

"How long are you going to blame me for turning your birth mother into a vampire?"

"Damon," Nilly exclaimed. "Not the time for this."

"No, it's okay, Nil," Elena said to her before turning back to him. "I'm not blaming you, Damon. I've accepted the fact that you're a self-serving psychopath with no redeeming qualities," she noted with a bitter sarcastic smile.

"Owch," he said, putting his hand to his chest in false offense. "Well, I mean your sister must have found_ one_ redeeming quality. Maybe she's seen something you haven't," he shot back, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Elena's eyes widened.

If the color could drain from Nilin's face, it would have. Not that anyone would have noticed, Damon and Elena were still going at it. Nilly took in a deep breath, feeling the pressure that had been building up in her chest. She released the air through her nose as the pressure disappeared. The fire crackling in the fireplace suddenly blazed, intense enough for Nilin to feel the heat on her skin.

The room grew silent immediately. All eyes turned to Nilin. "Pretty cool, huh?" she asked unamused, crossing her arms over her chest. As she spoke the flames sputtered a little before dying down. "I've been practicing," she smiled coldly.

"This isn't being very productive." Stefan stepped in after a minute of silence. "We're going to figure out a way to deal with Pearl and the vampires, okay?" he looked between the three of them.

Nilin and Damon kept quite, but Elena nodded and leaned into Stefan. "Things were just getting better," she whispered against his chest.

"I know," Stefan sighed.

"Everything is still fine and dandy, don't you two get your halos tilted just yet," Damon said. "There's one thing that I still would like to clear up though."

"What's that?" Stefan asked his brother.

"Why won't our darling Nilin tell us where she was today?" he said as he turned to her with a smirk on his face.

"We're back to this again, really?"

"Hey, I'm just playing my role of concerned boyfriend," his grinned widened.

"Just tell us, Nil," Elena sighed.

Nilin ranked her fingers through her hair, and let out a groan. Then she looked up at them. "I went to the meadow today," she blurted out. The only reason she felt the need to tell them this was because she went over it in her head, and the consequences for not telling them over powered the ones if she did. Besides, how could she preach trust and no secrets if she didn't follow through with it?

"What? Why?" Elena asked.

"Well, actually… Finch took me there," she said, peeking up at their reactions through her bangs.

"Finch?" Elena questioned. "You mean the guy you've been hanging out with?"

"You've been hanging out with him?" Damon scrutinized.

"Yes him, I talk to him in school but that's about it," Nilin down played just a bit. She noticed Damon go for the glass bottle of bourbon in the room. She cleared her throat, wringing her hands together.

"Why would you take him there?" Elena continued on with the questioning.

"You misheard me,_ he_ took _me_," Nilin reiterated.

"What the hell were you thinking, Nilin?" Damon said in disbelief, appearing in front of her. "You had me scouring for information on that guy because you thought he was a vampire, and then you willingly go out into the middle of nowhere with him?"

Nilin stood tall, forcing them to be chest in chest. "I had everything under control. I can take care of myself Damon."

"You clearly just proved that you can't," he sneered. "What were you thinking?"

"I was getting answers, which seems to be what everybody else is doing on their own accord," she accused.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied.

"Elena with our birthparents, Stefan with you, and you… with Katherine," she shot at him.

She watched as his arrogance faltered. "You know what I told you about that," he reminded but took a step back from her.

"And I told you not to bullshit me," she bit out, snatching the glass tumbler from his hand as she walked around him. She took a sip and then emptied the rest into the fire, watching it blaze for a moment. "Just to clarify Finch isn't a vampire," she said turning back around to them.

"What'd you do, ask him?" Damon asked.

Nilin just shrugged, "Didn't have to."

"Can we not play twenty questions here please?" Elena said, flopping down on the nearest sofa. "There's enough things that we don't know, so lets clear up the ones we can."

"Like this one, what is he and how do I kill him?" Damon smirked looking at Nilin. Of course, his reaction would be violence. Did she expect anything less?

Her eyes narrowed, "You're not killing him, Damon."

"Why not? Come on, it's been way too long," he remarked darkly.

"Because, him and I have something in common," Nilin started, seeing if they would catch on. Three pairs of eyes just narrowed at her. "Finch is like me. He's an angel," she got it out finally.

"Excuse me?" Elena said. "An angel, how? What?" she shook her head slightly in disbelief.

Nilin sighed. "Finch explained it to me. He wants to help, that's all."

"So he posed as a small town high school student?" Damon asked. "Well, guess you're not as original as you thought, brother," he grinned, turning to Stefan. Stefan just shook his head at Damon's comment.

"Now we have angels and vampires moving into town?" Elena groaned, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands.

"Just Finch, and he's only here until I have some sort of hold on this. Then he's gone," she explained. Nilin leaned back against the bricks of the fireplace's mantel, crossing her arm over her chest.

"You honestly believe what this guy has told you?" Damon asked in skepticism. "Who's to say he has no ulterior motives?"

"Because not everyone is Damon Salvatore," Elena shot back. "If Finch can help Nilly move past this and get us all the answers we've been looking for, then why not give it a try?"

"From what I can tell, angels aren't big on the evil doing and master plans," Stefan commented.

Damon just snorted and shook his head. "I'll give you three sometime to realize how ridiculous you sound. Call me when you pull your heads out of your asses," he called as he grabbed his jacket and left the room. Nilin heard the front door slam and grimaced a little. She underestimated Damon's reaction.

"He'll be fine," Stefan told her.

"Yeah," was all Nilin mumbled, covering her faces with her hands. The last thing she wanted was for Damon to give her the cold shoulder, especially when Katherine's name was being mentioned again. "What do we do now?" Nilly asked, peeking between her fingers.

"I don't know," Elena answered. "But I want to call Bonnie and get her in on this. She is the one who dropped the seal; maybe she'll know how to get it back up again or something," she was already pulling out her phone as she spoke. Elena punched in Bonnie's number, holding the phone to her ear as she left the room.

"And then there were two," Nilin smiled a little as she flopped back down on one of the couches. She suddenly felt like she could sleep for days. "Come, join me, Stefan."

Stefan took a seat on the sofa in front of her, letting out a sigh as he did so. Nilin pulled her legs up on the couch and laid her head down on the arm rest. "God, what a night," Nilin mumbled.

He chuckled a little. "Yeah, you can say that."

Nilly turned over on her side to get a better look at Stefan. "How's she doing?" Not needing the antecedent to 'she', they both knew who Nilin was talking about. "We used to be able to talk about everything but now," she just shrugged. She couldn't come up with the words that described their 'now'.

He relaxed back in to the cushions a little. "She's good. Elena's strong and determined, that's one thing I love about her," he said was an unaware smile. "Something's off though, Nilin. I can tell."

"I know," Nilly sighed. "I feel so terrible, we've just been fighting. I try my best to shut my mouth and I know she does too, but sometimes we just can't help it."

"That's just the Gilbert in you," Stefan grinned. "I've seen it. It has its good and its bad. Not many people can go through what the two of you have and emerge on the other side," he said with that clam, warm tone that Stefan always seemed to have.

Nilly laughed a little. "Thank you," she said, rubbing her stinging eyes. "We just need to get through this. All of us, together."

"And we will, don't worry," Stefan told her. He was so different from Damon sometimes. There was this docile aura that Damon never had. Nilin loved talking to Stefan. She used to do it a lot when she first came back. Damon never wanted to leave her by herself, so he usually called for his brother to watch Nilly while he went out. They had some interesting conversation, but those have since dwindled in frequency.

"Can I tell you something, Nilin?" Stefan inquired, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Sure, what's up?" she perked here head up a little.

"When I thought we had lost you back in August, and I was sitting there with Elena, I thought I had lost her too," he confessed to her. "The way she crumbled, I couldn't see a way of her building herself back up. In all honesty I was terrified. I guess what I'm trying to tell you, is that, even though you and her don't see eye to eye on a lot of things, she needs you. You reach her on a level that I can never. When you get cut, she bleeds."

"I think I'm starting to understand that more now," Nilin said. She sat up on the couch a little, laying her head back against the cushion. "Everything that happened to us these past few months has made me see how delicate people are. Even big bad scary vampires, like you," she laughed. "God, that's so cheesy sounding."

Stefan laughed too. "Yeah, just a little."

She smiled. "Thank you, Stefan," she told him. "I feel like I haven't said that to you enough, but I'm very thankful for you."

He gave her a small half smile. "I should be thanking you as well Nilly," he acknowledge. "I know Elena doesn't see it, but I do, you've brought Damon back from the brink of disaster. His humanity was switched off when he came back to Mystic Falls and I believe that you're the one who's turned it back. Who knows, maybe with some time, he'll be my brother again."

Nilin felt her heart flutter a little as they talked about Damon. She couldn't help the smile on her face. "I love him, Stefan. I really do," she declared. It felt weird to confess that to someone else— of all people his younger brother. At the same time, it felt really good, as if the words were innate.

"I can see that too," he told her. "You're good for him, Nilin. There's no denying it. The old Damon would have gone on a killing spree tonight," he explained. "But he didn't."

Nilin didn't realize how right it would feel to hear someone say that. She was good for Damon, like he was for her. There was a reason for fighting. It wasn't that Nilly didn't know that already, it was just that the validation was pretty nice. It made a goofy smile to come to her lips as Stefan talked. Nilly hid it with her fingers.

There was still something eating at her though. "Can I ask your opinion?"

"Go ahead," Stefan said, leaning forward.

"Do you think he still wants to find Katherine?" Nilin forgot to add in the part where she told Stefan that she couldn't bear the thought if Damon did. Katherine was a grey area between them. They never confronted that pressing issue. They just let her loom over their heads, like the blade of a guillotine.

She could see the concern cross Stefan's face before he answered. "I think he still needs to find resolution. When Damon feels, he feel completely and totally, so when it came to Katherine, she played her mind games and consumed him. I can't see him letting go that easy. But who knows, maybe he just wants to kill her. Damon feels strongly on both extremes of the spectrum, there's no in between with him."

"Yeah, maybe," she sighed as she laid back down. Her heart had stopped fluttering.

Now it was heavy in her chest.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

Hey guys, here's a little something to start your week off with. The foundation in starting to get a crack in it and you all know what happens when foundation crumbles- everything else goes down with it. Stay tune to see that mess. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, thank so much for reading this far. I love you all and I'll see you soon.

P.S. I'm feeling much better and I'm back in class for those who were asking. Thank you all again :)  
Don't forget to _**Favorite, Follow & Review!**_

RLS

**Get the Song**

Gods & Monsters by Lana Del Rey

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=3BwfuFuYOWE


	24. Coming of Age

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Coming of Age**

_Well, I see you standing there like a rabid dog  
And you got those crying eyes  
Makes me wanna surrender and wrap you in my arms  
You know I try to live without regrets  
I'm always moving forward and not looking back  
But I tend to leave a trail of debt while I'm moving ahead  
And so I'm stepping away, 'cause I got nothing to say  
Feels like, feels like it's coming_

_~Foster the People_

"Come on, Nills," Finch coached as he stood behind her. "You almost got it." She could feel sweat forming on her brow as she focused on the pressure building in her chest, just like he told her. Nilin had that part down easily, now only if she could release it without singeing the entire Old Wood. "Just focus on the tree and exhale," Finch's voice instructed.

With her teeth gritted and her chest burning from strain, Nilin did what he said. The pressure from her chest hissed out through her nose as she exhaled, but nothing happened. Aggravated, Nilly let out a frustrated grunt and dropped her head to her hands. "I can't do it. It's just not working," she huffed. Her voice echoed through the trees, bouncing off of their orange leaves.

Nilly plopped down in the long grass and began angrily pulling at it. She felt Finch sit down next to her. "Yeah, you're right," he sighed. Nilin peeked at him. "I guess you can't do it. It's completely impossible," he shrugged before standing again. "Well I guess my job here is done. Time to head back," he began to leisurely stroll away. "Nice to have met you."

Nilin groaned again. "Jerk," she huffed, getting to her feet. "I get your point. You can close the curtains on your little drama production, Dimples."

He laughed a little and made his way back over to her. "You're too worried that you're going to loose control to actually get it under control," he explained to her. "Just open up, and let it go."

"That easy, huh?" she said sarcastically.

"That easy," he grinned. "Now try it again." Nilin groaned. "I know," he laughed. "We've been here since seven o'clock, but come on, one more time."

"What teenager is awake at seven in the morning on a Saturday, anyway?" she grumbled as she took a few steps away form him.

"Oh, quit the grumbling and blow up a tree," she heard Finch say behind her.

Nilly rolled her eyes before she focused them on a tree across the meadow. She slowed her breathing as the heaviness in her chest built up. It was an almost satisfying discomfort. She expected nothing to happen again, but suddenly she felt Finch's hand on her hip as he walked next to her.

"Now," he began quietly. "Just let go."

She pulled a shuddering breath in through her mouth. Her skin was hot where his hand laid, causing her to try and drag her focus back on the tree and not him. Suddenly there was a ringing in her ears, her whole body grew warm and her back tingled as if electricity was running across it.

Nilin was detached from herself for a moment, Finch was forgotten, everything seemed to melt into the background. Then there was a loud popping noise, as if fireworks were going off. A tree came crashing to the ground, its trunk completely shattered and chard as if lightening had struck it. As it fell, it took two smaller trees with it.

Finally, the meadow seemed to lap back into silence and Nilin breathed out slowly. "I did it," she grasped. Then she turned to Finch with a huge smile on her face. "I actually did it!" she more or less squealed as she threw her arms around his neck.

He laughed, hugging her back. "Told you so," he said as he twirled her in a circle. When her feet touched the ground again, she pulled away from him still smiling.

"Can I try it again?" she asked.

Finch nodded. "Go head."

So she did, and it worked. It worked again and again, even without Finch's help she was able to send the massive trees tumbling down to the earth. Nilin couldn't stop laughing as she looked around at what she had done. It looked as if a bulldozer had run through there.

"So freakin' cool," she exclaimed. "I actually feel like I have some sort of power over this."

"Good," Finch said, walking towards her. He placed his hands on top of her shoulders. "This is only a fraction of what you can do," he explained, a strange spark in his eye. "You are able to control anything that has energy flowing through it."

"Like people?" Nilin asked, looking up at him.

"Eventually, with practice. Yeah, you might. That's usually saved for dire situations only. This is a gift, after all," he added.

"What about that thing you did with the dead flower? How do I do that?" she asked enthusiastically.

Finch slipped his hands off her shoulders and into his front pockets. "It sort of like a little trick you can use to repair things," he explained.

"Like healing?" Nilin questioned.

"Yeah, like healing. It's a hard one to get down though. It takes a lot out of you too. I mean one little flower isn't going to knock you on your ass but trying to heal a human, that might sting a little for a few days," Finch warned.

"Could we try it? Maybe, I mean, one day down the road," she wondered. The idea of being able to help people was making her heart swell with hope. She could take something good from out of this mess.

"Maybe, if you behave," he grinned. Nilin just laughed and rolled her eyes. "So, you wanna blow more stuff up or try something different?" he offered.

Her lips perked up with the thought of something new. It excited her. "Different."

"That's my girl," he said as he nudged her. "Now watch this," a smirk came to his face as he cupped his hands in front of her.

Suddenly a great ball of light appeared in them. He did it so effortlessly. It was nothing compared to the puny spark that she could conjure up. The light seemed to pulsate and move as if it was living and feeling. Nilin tore her eyes from off the remarkable sight to watch Finch. His eyes had been on her, a small smile on his lips. Nilin felt her cheeks heat up and she wondered if he could tell that she was blushing.

But he quickly looked away, down at his hands. The light grew bigger and brighter. "Ready?" he asked, looking at her again. Nilin nodded. Then Finch threw it up in to the air as if he was tossing a ball. Nilly followed it through the meadow. Her jaw dropped as the light suddenly burst midair, causing little sparks of light to come falling down on them. It was beautiful. The air around them twinkled and sparked with it.

She looked around in shock, face tilted towards the sky as the sparks continued to fall. "Whoa," she breathed out in awe. "It's beautiful."

"Now, you try," Finch said as he came up next to her. Nilin nodded and easily generated her own mass of glowing light. "Good," he smiled. "You gotta put more power into it though."

Nilin could feel herself straining but she managed to brighten the light, it grew quickly until she was holding it between her hands. Then, just like Finch, she threw it above them. It went high over their heads, and then it burst, raining light on them. Nilin couldn't help the giggle that came out of her mouth. The sparks tickled her skin as they fell.

"I never thought this could be anything other than a burden," she admitted to Finch as she continued to look around them at the cascading twinkling light. She held her hand out to catch them, her fingers glowed a little with energy.

Finch was quiet as he slowly came to stand in front of her again. A shy smile touched his lips, making his freckles noticeable. "You are so beautiful," he said quietly as he tucked one of her curls behind her ear. His hand came to lay on her waist.

"Finch," she warned him, taking a step back from him.

"I know, I know. I'm crossing the line, but I couldn't help myself," he laughed a little. "It's your birthday anyway, every girl should be told she's beautiful on her birthday."

"How'd you know?" she asked, laying her hand on top of his and slipping it off her waist. She didn't want to hurt his feelings though, so she kept their fingers entwined between them.

"Of course I would know," he smiled. "Its trivial information, comes along with the job."

"Right, you're a walking encyclopedia when it comes to my life. I forgot," Nilin joked a little as they began to leave the meadow, hands swinging between them.

"How's it feel to by eighteen?" he asked while he looked up at the canopy of oranging leaves.

"Like I'm ready to take on the world," she said, over exaggerating a bit.

Finch laughed. "Oh boy."

Nilly smiled a little but her shoulders seemed to droop a little. "I never really liked birthdays; you're just adding a number to something. It seems so pointless."

"I suppose so," he sighed as they walked, his hand still around hers. "But at the same time, it's like adding a tally mark to the year long battles you've won."

"Spoken like a true soldier," Nilly turned to him smiling. He just rolled his eyes. "I don't know though," she said in the next instance. "This year has just been so screwed up, I mean technically I'm not even aging anymore and on top of that, I might not have been even born on this day."

"Your life's like a telenovela, I swear." Finch teased, elbowing her.

"Hey, don't be mean. It is my birthday after all," she pouted but the edges of her lips curled up at how silly she sounded.

"Oh, so you're playing that card now, huh?"

Nilin just laughed as they made their way to her parked car. They walked quietly till then, and she enjoyed it. That weird light being reaction that happened when they were near each other brought her body to a peaceful equilibrium. She soaked up this time of just feeling normal— well, as normal as she could be.

When they reached her car, Finch let go of Nilin's hand, allowing her to grab her keys. "You did really well today," he ended the quiet. "I have to say I'm quite surprised. It's like you've got a knack for this."

"I've been known to surprise people," she winked as she slipped into the driver's seat and started up the car. Finch got into the passenger's side and Nilin started heading back home.

"You just have so much potential, it's incredible. Just imagine if you had stayed on the Otherside with the rest of us, you'd be unbelievable," he said with such enthusiasm it made her laugh.

"Yeah, but you'd be out of a job," she joked, trying to change the conversation. She didn't like talking about the Otherside. It still made her uncomfortable.

"We'd find something else to do, don't you worry," he laughed. "So, you doing anything special today?"

"Nope," she answered. "And I made sure everyone was clear on that. I just want to go home, shower and have a relaxing Saturday in bed."

"But it's your birthday _and _Halloween. You can't _not_ do anything." Finch pushed.

"Watch me," she insisted. "I just want to eat cupcakes and give candy to five year olds dressed as superheroes. How does that sound?"

"Boring," he told her.

"Yeah, yeah," she laughed. As she started getting closer to town the more it looked like Halloween; jack-o-lanterns on every porch, corn stalks the town council set up around every street lamp, not to mention the skeletons and ghosts on everyone's lawns. This was her favorite time of year.

"Though I don't like birthdays, I do love Halloween," she told Finch.

He looked at her like she had mumbled gibberish. "Oh, makes sense," he said sarcastically.

Nilin took a hand off the steering wheel to smack his chest. "Be nice," she complained. "I was a restless child. I never wanted a party or to blow out my candles, I just wanted to dress up and go trick-or-treating. Elena and I would dress up in the best costumes and take Jeremy around the block. Then we'd stuff our faces with candy on the way home. Those are some of my happiest memories."

"So why don't you do that today?" he asked.

"Because I'm no fun remember," she smirked a little, before turning her attention back to the windshield. As she passed The Common she noticed the orange and black banners everywhere. There was a festival going on for younger kids. She noticed tiny witches and princesses running around the place.

When she pulled up to her house, it looked like no one was home. She sighed as she got out. Finch came around the front with a smile on his face and his hands in his pockets. "Are you mad at me?" he asked, looking down at his shoes. "For what I said before?"

"Finch," she sighed. "There's a line. You know that and you know Damon and I are—"

"Serious, I know," he gave her a tight smile. "I'm not trying to make a move or anything. I'm not that kind of guy, I swear," he laughed a little. "I'll be good from now on, I promise."

Nilin smiled. "Thank you, Dimples." She reached up on her tippy toes and hugged him. His arms went around her waist and he gave her a little squeeze.

"I'll talk to you later," he said as they stepped away. Before he left, Finch kissed her quickly on they cheek. "Oh, and happy Halloween," he winked.

Nilin laughed as she waved goodbye to him. She made her way up to the front door, unlocked it and went inside. "Anyone home?" she called.

There was no response.

Four o'clock on a Saturday and no one was home. She had the house to herself, which meant some time to relax. She had been out in the meadow with Finch all morning and most of the afternoon, and she was tired. Dragging her feet up the stairs, Nilly noticed the orange bowl filled with candy bars sitting there untouched, the trick or treaters weren't out just yet.

With a sigh, Nilin continued up the steps to her room. Stopping at her stereo, she flicked it on, popping in her favorite CD and cranking the volume up. As she pasted by her window, Nilin looked out towards the street. The sky was somewhat cloudy, giving the sleepy town a heavy ominous feeling and hinting at the possibility of a light fall shower later. The leaves on every tree seemed to stand out against the grey sky. The oranges and red made it look as if Mystic Falls was a blaze.

Down the road, she could make out a few kids trotting along the sidewalk. There was a Cinderella and a ninja racing across one lawn to the next house. A cowgirl was skipping with a zombie as a tiny pumpkin trailed behind them, having trouble with its white pillow case, already weighed down my candy. A smile found its way on Nilly's face as she turned away from the window and went into the bathroom.

Leaving the door cracked to hear the music, she started her shower. The room quickly filled with steam as she stripped off her clothes and stepped under the running water. It did wonders for her knotted muscle. Nilin didn't realize how much this took out of her. She could feel it now. It was as if her bones ached. She took her time washing out her hair and ended up running the hot water cold.

Finally Nilin left the sanctuary of her shower. Ringing her hair out, she wrapped at towel around her body. Goosebumps rose on her skin as she walked out of the bathroom. Her room was freezing. She went to click her heat on when she noticed that one of her windows was wide open. The hair rose on the back of her neck as she gripped her towel around her tighter. That window was closed before she stepped into the shower, Nilin was sure of it. She made her was over slowly, slamming the window shut and making sure it was locked.

Anxiety bubbled up in her chest as she did a 360 around her dark room. There was something on her bed that caught her eye. Nilin made her way over to it. Someone had been in her room. On top of her bed, laid out very meticulously was a beautiful black dress. Next to it was a white shoe box with a French label on it. Nilly slid the lid off to find a pair of black high heels with gold metal tips placed in there.

Then she saw the flower, it was a black rose. Nilin's lips perked up as it all came together. She picked up the rose and saw the piece of parchment paper tied to it. In neat delicate handwriting it said nothing more then,

_"Meet me downstairs in one hour. _

_~D"_

She couldn't help the butterflies the burst in her stomach. Clearly Damon didn't listen to her persistent nagging of how she didn't want to do anything for her birthday. No shocker there though, he never listened to anyone. She put down the rose and ran a hand over the black dress.

Well, one thing was for sure, Damon had amazing taste.

* * *

About an hour later, Nilin found herself standing in front of her full length mirror. She swiveled back and forth, watching the fabric move over her hips. It was a gorgeous dress. The black fabric came right above her knee, it was cinched at her waist with a wide leather belt. The high neck line was made of a sheer black fabric, allowing you to see the heart shaped cut under it.

Carefully, as not to disturbed the curls she had worked on, Nilly pulled her hair to one side. Her makeup was simple, like usual. She gave herself a subtle smoky eye and added a touch of lip gloss. She let out a deep sigh as she felt the nerves claw up her stomach. Why was she so anxious? Probably because she had no intensions of going out tonight and then this was suddenly sprung on her.

Seeing the time on the clock, Nilin slipped her feet into the gold toed stilettos and grabbed her clutch. She spotted the black rose still lying on her bed. Picking it up, she twirled between her fingers before gently placing it in the clutch.

She did one last look over before making her way out of her room and downstairs. The house was still quiet and lifeless. Every room was dark, she noticed as she took each step cautiously.

As she reached the last one, there was a knock on the front door that caused her to jump out of her skin. Her sluggish heart revved up as she let out a little gasp. The door bell rang and Nilly quickly composed herself. It could just be a trick or treated jiving for candy. But when she opened the door there wasn't some five year old in a mask standing there, no, she found an impeccably dressed Damon in all black with little smirk on his lips.

"Did I scare you?" he asked her.

Nilin eyed him. "No," she lied.

"Liar," he accused as his grin widening. "But I'll let that one slide since it is your birthday."

She caught his eyes sweeping over her, heat rose to her cheeks. Nilin bit her lip nervously. "How'd I do?" she asked, running fidgeting hands over her dress.

Damon took a step inside the house. He laid his hands on her waist as he slowly leaned down and kissed her. Her hands linked behind his neck and she forgot why she was ever nervous in the first place.

He pulled away from her a little. "I think you did _too_ well," he told her. "I was picturing what that dress looked like off of you." Damon confessed as he raised an eyebrow.

"Mmmh," Nilin shook her head. "Way to ruin the moment."

"I don't ruin moments, angel. I enhance them," he corrected her. He kissed her once more before sliding his hand from her waist to interlock with hers. "Are you ready to go?"

"Where are we going exactly?" she asked as they left her house.

"Can't tell you, Elena would have my head," he explained.

"Elena's in on this?" she sighed. "I told you guys…"

"Yeah, yeah. You wanted to be a buzzkill and do nothing fun for your birthday. Well guess what, we didn't listen," he smirked, opening the car door for her. "Suck it up."

Nilin grumbled as she slid into the passenger seat. "But I hate birthdays," she wined to him once he started the car.

"Yeah, that's another thing. What girl doesn't like birthday parties?" he wondered as he began driving.

"Me!" she exclaimed.

"Something definitely wrong with you," Damon teased, shaking his head. "Hey, no pouting. I promise you you'll have a good time tonight. And if you don't, just tell me and I'll make sure to change that."

Nilin ignored his little innuendo and crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you going to behave yourself?" she asked.

"No," he answered.

She sighed, "Well, at least you're honest."

Damon laughed and reached over to grab a hold of her hand. His thumb brushed over her skin softly as he drove and again Nilin had no idea why she had just been fussing over anything. Her thoughts melted into the numbing bliss that came from being around Damon. It was liberating to not worry about anything else outside of his car for the time being.

"Thank you for all this," she said, motioning to her outfit with her other hand. "You really didn't have to," she told him.

"Sure I did," he looked at her. "It's the least that I could do." A soft smile touched his lips and Nilly's stomach did flips. "You look gorgeous by the way."

"Thank you," she smiled, giving his fingers a squeeze. She saw Damon look over at her fore a moment before looking back to the road, the smile remaining on his lips. It was the soft, toothless one he gave her when he was happily floating around in his own head. She loved that smile.

Nilin didn't mean to be difficult. There was a reason why she didn't like birthdays. Her mother was in the hospital for most of hers. She had gotten use to the tradition of blowing out an imaginary candle— you couldn't light anything in a hospital room with oxygen tanks— while sitting on the edge of her mom's hospital bed. She didn't mind it for the most part. A young Nilin was just happy to be spending another birthday with her mom.

Anyway, birthdays were never the same after she died. The celebration turned into a quiet tradition.

Nilin suddenly remember something. Grabbing her clutch, she pulled the black rose out of it. "I was going to be all nostalgic and pin this into my hair, like the night of the school dance. But then I remembered what actually happened that night and figured it'd be better if I didn't."

"Don't tell me you're superstitious," he eyed her while she played with the flower's petals.

Nilin shrugged, "I just don't want anything bad to happen, gotta cover all your bases."

"It's just a rose, Nilin," he told her.

"Why don't you wear it in your hair then?" she shot back as she placed the rose on the Camaro's dashboard.

"Good one," he said sarcastically, before putting his attention back on the road.

"Can you just tell me what we're doing tonight?" she asked once more.

"And why would I do that?" Damon asked. "You know how much I love it when you squirm," he smirked.

Nilin gritted her teeth and counted to ten. She clearly had no say in tonight's festivities. She might as well play nice, right? Damon was just trying to get a rise out of her. At least he had gotten over the whole 'Finch is an angel sent to help me' thing. He had only brought it up the day after she told them.

She had been sitting in her room when he walked through the door and flopped on her bed. Shockingly, he had apologized for his outburst and how he handled it. Apparently Pearl's visit had irritated him. Nilin forgave him and that was the end of that. Neither spoke a word about the subject since. But she wasn't dumb. Nilin knew it was still bothering him.

Her eyes were scanning the scenery from the car window, it was dark out. Nilin thought she had some clue to where they were going. Once he made a left on to one particular road, Nilin was positive. "The lake house?" she asked out loud.

"And they said you wouldn't get it," he said, as he began to maneuver the car along the winding road.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**"**_Boys and girls of every age, won't you like to see something strange? Come inside and you will see, this our town of Halloween..._**"** I thought I get into festivities a little early, well it is October so it isn't that early. Halloween is one of my favorite holiday, its no surprise that its our darling Nilin's b-day either. I've been supper busy this week, so here's this quick-ish chapter of you guys! Let me know it you like it! Let me know if I use too many exclamation points! Haha.

See you guys soon,

**Favorite, Follow & Review!  
**RLS

******Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Nilin's Outfit: /chapter_twenty-four_nilin/set?id=136496126&lid=3742036

Damon's Outfit: /chapter_twenty-four_damon/set?id=136498039&lid=3742036

**Get the Song:**

Coming of Age by Foster the People

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=dQVmcgPMypM


	25. Grow Up

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Grow Up**

_Some of us have to grow up sometimes  
And so, if I have to, I'm gonna leave you behind  
We get along for the most part  
Me and reality, the light and the dark  
We live alone, two different worlds  
Me in a fantasy, you in your memories  
But we get along_

_~Paramore_

Looking out the car window, Nilin could just see the glisten of the lake's surface and the reflection of the crescent moon in it. Every so often it would disappear behind the dark clouds that were starting to roll in. Finally, Damon pulled up to the lake house that Nilin and Elena's parents had shared. They used to go up there every summer, both families. That all ended when Elena's parents died though.

Nilin hadn't been here in years. It looked the same though. For a moment, she was taken back to those late summer nights when everyone would stay up to watch stars and listen to the summer bugs chirp. The only difference was the lanterns strung everywhere and the deck full of party guest.

She let out a groan, her forehead hitting the cold car window. "Why are there so many people here?" she asked. "I don't even know these many people."

"Oh hush, you'll have fun," he promised her before getting out of the car. He flashed around and opened her door for her. As Nilin got out she could hear music and laughter coming from the lake house.

The urge to get back into Damon's car and head in the opposite direction came over her. She looked to him, he was eyeing her, most likely trying to figure out what was going on in her head. "How about we forget out this party and just drive somewhere? Just us, hmm?" Nilin tried, facing him with a small smile on her lips.

Damon's eyes narrowed at her. "You're gonna have to try harder than that," he told her. "I wasn't born yesterday."

"But what if that's what I want for you birthday?" she pushed, pouting slightly.

He laughed. "Don't tempt me," he told her, leaning down to kiss her. "Elena already threatened a stake through the heart if I didn't deliver you on time," he revealed. Nilin just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "Nilin, it's about time you did something normal for a change," he continued. He took her hands in his. "Just breathe, have a little fun."

She looked up at him and let out a slow breath. "Easy for you to say," she mumbled, fidgeting with the edge of her dress.

"Relax," he told her, kissing her forehead gently. "Oh and one more thing," he smiled as he held her out at arms length. The rose appeared in his hand. He brought it to his mouth, biting off the stem, before tucking it perfectly into her hair.

"You know what I remember about that rose I gave you once upon a time?" he wondered. Nilin shook her head, anyway valuable words getting lodged in her throat. "Our first kiss," he reminded her. "Remember the good things too, Nilin."

Her smile threatened to split her cheeks. "I know," she whispered. "I'm sorry." Damon just shook his head and swooped down to kiss her. This kiss was steamier than the other sweet pecks of the night. It left her breathless when he finally pulled away.  
"Now, come on, before I take up your earlier offer of kidnapping you for the weekend," he grinned before taking her hand and leading her up the wooden steps to the lake house's front doors.

Damon swung open the French glass door and immediately Nilly was bombard with cheers and yells of happy birthday. She kept a smile on her face and a firm grip around Damon's bicep as she was hugged and kissed on the cheek by random party goers— most just happy to be supplied with free boozes.

"There you are!" she heard a familiar someone say. Nilly turned to see Shellie in an off the sleeved black dress that draped down to her knees with a pair of red strappy heels. Her long hair was swept off her shoulders and down her back. Again, Nilin felt like she was staring at a model.

"You look incredible," Shellie exclaimed as she hugged her. "Happy birthday, beautiful!"

"Thank you," Nilin laughed nervously.

Shellie grabbed Nilly's arm, replacing hers with Damon's and began to drag her away, rambling on about one thing or another. Nilin looked back at Damon as she was pulled away. "Have fun," he smirked at her, before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Nilin groaned and allowed Shellie to parade her through the party. The lake house had been decorated for Halloween, pumpkins, skeletons, everything orange and black, the whole nine yards.

"How do you like it?" Shellie asked when she caught Nilin looking around. "Elena put me on the decorating committee."

"You did this all by yourself?" Nilin asked, stunned. The entire house was decorated from top to bottom.

"Well," Shellie sighed. "Me and Caroline."

"Caroline's here?" Nilin asked. Then Nilin realized who they were talking about. "Of course Caroline is here."

"It was Elena's idea and she made Caroline swear to be on her best behavior. To be honest, she wasn't even that bad to work with," Shellie shrugged. "But yeah, she's here. Sorry."

"No, it's okay. It's my birthday anyway," Nilin smiled.

"That a girl," she laughed. "Come on, Mags and Rider are over this way," Shellie yanked Nilin's arm. She dragged her to the one corner of the house that had the wooden bar, and whose giant windows overlooked the lake.

"Well, look who it is," Magnolia smiled when she saw Nilin. "It's the birthday girl." She sat on one of the bar stools, long legs crossed and a plastic cup with the silhouettes of black cats in hand.

"Hey guys," Nilly smiled giving them a quick hug. Magnolia was all dressed up as well. She had on a dark purple lace top with a black pencil skirt and black pump boots. Rider was wearing dark washed out jeans and a black collared shirt, looking as handsome as ever. When they stood together, Nilin couldn't deny that they were an impeccable couple.

"How do you like your party?" Mags asked, handing Nilin a jack-o-lantern cup.

Nilin took a sip and swallowed hard. "Mmm, vodka. It just got a whole lot better," she said, bumping cups with Mags.

"Alcohol is always the answer," Mags toasted.

"Agreed," Nilin smiled, tipping her cup back.

"You are in charge of rationing them," Shellie said to Rider. "Don't be afraid to cut them off."

"Why me?" he asked. "You think Mags won't kick _my_ ass?"

"She'd kick my ass a lot harder. Besides she likes you more, so it's your job," Shellie reasoned back.

"Um, she's right her." Mags pointed to herself. "And no ones getting their asses kick, just don't touch my boozes."

"Sounds reasonable," Nilin concurred, hoisting herself up to sit on top of the bar.

Shellie spun around, giving her a pointed look. "Don't encourage her," she said. "You're on the watch list too."

"But it's my birthday," Nilly smirked.

"Stop saying that," Shellie ordered.

"But it is," Nilin laughed. Shellie looked like she was going to bite off Nilin's head, but Shellie was suddenly distracted. Her eyes slid past Nilin, causing Nilly to turn around and see what she was staring at. It was Jeremy.

He was over talking to a group of his friends. "I thought you two were inseparable," Nilin said, turning back around to face Shellie.

"They got into a fight," Mags said, leaning her head on Rider's shoulder.

"It wasn't a fight," Shellie shot back.

"It was to, I was upstairs. Heard the whole thing," Magnolia told her.

"He's just been a jerk recently." Shellie mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't care, whatever. I'm over it."

"You want me to beat him up for you? Cause I will, I've been doing it since he was three." Nilin offered.

"Maybe he does need some sense knocked into him," Shellie said, a little smile appearing on her lips. "Just don't ugly him up too bad."

"Just keep it below the neck, and you should be good," Magnolia advised.

"Nilin and violence, now why am I not surprised?" Elena said, walking up to them with Bonnie by her side.

"Because it's Nilly," Bonnie stated simply. The chuckling from her other friends all indicated that they were in agreement.

Nilin just rolled her eyes and waved them off. "Good to see you too, Bon," she said, hopping off the bar and hugging the slight girl tightly. "I didn't even know you were back in town."

"Did you honestly think I'd miss your eighteenth birthday, come on girl," Bonnie laughed, squeezing Nilly a little.

"It's understandable if you did," Nilin told her. "How are you holding up?" she asked, letting go of her. Bonnie's Grams had passed away a few weeks ago, she had gone out of town to be with family since. The circumstances of her grandmother's passing were a little blurry, but no one was questioning it.

"It's been hard, I mean my Grams was a big part of my life," she sighed with a little bob in her shoulders. "It's hard to let it sink in that she's gone."

Nilin gave Bonnie another hug. "I know what you mean," she said. "I'm glad you're back though. I missed my witchy little friend," Nilly jokes quietly.

"Mmhm, me too," she said, taking a step back from Nilin. Her eyes were past Nilin, eyeing something else. "I'm gonna go make sure Caroline is behaving herself." Bonnie said quickly. "I'll talk to you later." Nilin watched as Bonnie all but ran away from them.

"What was that about?" Magnolia wondered, pouring a drink for Rider.

"No clue," Nilly mumbled. Just then, Stefan had walked over, kissing Elena on the side of the head. The conversation turned towards the two of them, completely bypassing Bonnie's weird behavior.

"Huh, weird," Nilly mumbled to herself.

"Everything okay?" Shellie asked her.

Nilin looked to her, putting a smile on. "Yeah, peachy," she said. There was this lingering headache that was beginning to make itself known though. She took a gulp of her drink. "I'm just going to get some air. Be right back," Nilin told them as she back towards the doors that led to the back deck.

She squirmed through dancing buzzed teenagers until she reached the doors. Opening them, the chilled air hit her and Nilin breathed deep. There was no one out there. Storm clouds were rolling in, blocking out any light given by the moon.

The paper lamps and jack-o-lanterns provided enough flickering light for her to see as she made her way over to the railing. Nilin sighed as she looked out at the dark lake. It was cold enough to see her breath. Huffing again, she watched the thin puff come out from between her lips and disappear.

She heard the sound of the sliding glass door open and close.

"Remember the rope swing we used to have out on the lake, the highlight of your and Jeremy's summer?" Elena asked as she walked across the deck, her heels clicking up next to Nilin.

"Yeah, the one you were scared to death of," Nilin added.

"You two would always try, every year, to get me on that thing," she shook her head, laughing a little.

"If I recall correctly, we actually managed to."

"Yeah, and I went face first into the water and knocked out two teeth," she said, eyeing Nilin who couldn't help the laughter that came with the memory.

"That's right," Nilly chuckled. "That's not as bad as the time I fell out of the tree out front and nearly shattered my arm."

Elena started to laugh harder. "You were in a cast for the rest of the summer."

"That sucked. It was your fault too," Nilin accused.

"How?"

"You pushed me out, remember," Nilin exclaimed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Elena grinned, elbowing Nilin. Nilly rolled her eyes. "God, I miss all this," Elena sighed.

"I know, it feels like a life time ago," Nilly agreed.

"Well, for you it was, technically." Elena said, looking out to the lake.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Nilin grew quiet.

Elena turned to look at her, and saw the look on Nilly's face. "Nil, I didn't mean to upset you," she said, placing a hand on Nilin's shoulder.

"It's not you, I just get nostalgic a lot more nowadays," she tried to smile.

"We haven't talk about that night really, have we?" Elena asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Not at all actually." Nilin answered.

"Do you remember any of it?"

"Some," Nilin sighed, goosebumps popping up on her arms and legs. "I can't fully piece it together." Elena was quiet. She rocked back and forth, her eyes cast down. "You don't blame yourself, do you Elena?"

Her sister looked up at her. She had her bottom lip between her teeth, and her blue eyes were watering. "How can I not?" she said, her voice breaking.

"Oh, Elena." Nilin wrapped her arms around her, hugging her close. "It's not your fault, it never was. I would do it over again."

"You've always taken care of me, you've always protected me," she mumbled into Nilin's shoulder. "And I try to do the same for you, but I fail. I failed that night."

Nilin ran a hand up and down her back. "It's my job to protect you, even if it means throwing myself in the line of fire. I will always try to keep you and the rest of our family safe." She pulled away to look Elena in the eye. "I love you to death, Elena. You're my best friend, you will always be. So, please, _please_ don't carry around this blame," Nilin begged, shaking her a little.

"I'm sorry," Elena said, her voice strain. Nilin knew she was trying her best to hold back the tears. Elena, always being the strong one.

Nilin just hugged her closer, wrapping her arms around Elena's neck and allowing a few salty drops to escape her own eyes. "It's okay, Elena. Everything's going to be okay," Nilly promised. "Now, come here," she held her sister out in arms length. "You look beautiful tonight. No more crying, you're going to ruin your makeup," she said, wiping a few of the tears that managed to leek out of Elena's eyes and fixing her smudged mascara.

Elena smiled a little. "No more crying," she assured. "I hope this didn't put a downer on your birthday," she said, her voice a little hoarse still.

"Not at all," Nilin smiled, giving Elena another hug. "I'm having a really good time tonight."

"Good," Elena laughed.

Just then they were interrupted by the sliding door opening. Both girls looked to see who had stepped out of the house. Nilly's eyebrows pulled together as a smile broke out on her face. "Finch?" she chuckled a little.

"Surprise," he grinned, as he stuck his hands in his front pockets.

She looked to Elena, who was also smiling. "I'll be inside," she said before leaving Nilin and Finch outside.

"What are you doing here?" Nilin wondered as he walked over to her.

"Elena tracked me down and invited me yesterday," he explained, leaning back on the wooden railing. "I always did love a good party."

"Well, are you having fun?" she asked.

"It's better now," he laughed a little. "There are a lot of people in here, though. A lot of girls, grabby girls," he said, looking through the glass door at the partiers. "It's actually quite terrifying."

Nilin couldn't help but laugh. "Sounds like it," she chuckled.

"Yeah, you gotta save me from them," he told her, grinning a little.

"I'll try my best, but not many people are scare of little old me," she explained.

"They just haven't seen what you can do yet," he said, elbowing her.

Nilin shook her head. "Let's keep it that way," she suggested. "I like flying below the radar. It makes for a bigger surprise in the end."

"Good plan," Finch applauded. "See, this is why I like you." He paused for a moment. His hand slowly came up and brushed her hair. He tucked the flower Damon had pinned there back in place. "Huh, I'd never have pegged you for a rose girl," he smiled. "You always seem to surprise me," Finch admitted.

She laughed a little. "Damon got it for me," Nilin explained. She didn't know why she felt the need to mention that.

"Oh, well in that case…" Finch joked, laughing. Nilin elbowed him. "I'm just kidding, just kidding," he defended, raising his hands. "We're still best friends."

Nilin ceased fire. "Yeah…" she said reluctantly. "About that, see I might have done something that is worthy of revoking that title."

"Uh, oh…" Finch mumbled, eyeing her.

"They know about you and what you are and what we're doing," Nilin confessed. "Just thought I get that out there, probably something you should know."

Finch started laughing again. "Oh Nilin," he chuckled. "I knew you'd eventually tell them, it's not some big secret. Don't sweat it."

"Then I'm still your BFF?" she asked.

"Of course," he smiled, taking her one hand and spinning her in a circle. "I figured it anyway," he continued. "Elena was treating me very nicely."

"Nah," Nilin laughed, wrapping her arms around herself to keep some of the warmth in. "That's just Elena. She's a saint."

"And so are you," he told her. "You look absolutely gorgeous tonight," he spun her in front of him once more.

"Thank you," Nilly smiled. She could feel the start of a blush coming to her cheeks, but the cold air outside kept her from overheating.

"Now, don't be mad at me," he told her, looking down at his shoes, "but I got you something."

"Finch," she sighed.

"It's nothing big, I swear," he said looking up at her. "It's just— happy birthday Nills," he smiled, holding out a small white square towards her. "Don't open it until later tonight though," he told her.

Nilin took the present and smiled. "Thank you, really. This is very sweet of you," she said, giving him a hug.

His arms folded around her waist has he hugged her back. "Like I said, it's nothing big."

"Doesn't matter," Nilin said, her teeth chattering a little. It was getting colder out.

"Nilin, you're freezing," Finch laughed as he started to rub her arms. "Come on, let's get you back inside."

"Good idea," she smiled, but Finch didn't make a move to leave. Instead he stood in front of her, his hands still on her arms and a strange smile on his lips. He leaned towards her and for a moment Nilin was filled with panic that he was going to actually kiss her, but she didn't move. And Finch didn't kiss her, not on the lips anyway.

His once hand came up and swept a stray curl off her forehead before he gently touch his lips there. He pulled away, smiling a little. "Come on, birthday girl," he said, heading back inside.

Nilin swallowed hard, taking a few deep breaths before she followed him.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**  
Festivities and Mischievousness, that's what this chapter's all about. Let me know what you guys think! Can this just be a fun care free night?... Hope to hear from you guys soon. Thank you so much.

_**Favorite, Follow & Review  
**_RLS

******Get the Look: go to Polyvore DOT com and add the following to the end**

Elena, Shellie & Mags's Outfit: /chapter_twenty-five_elena_shellie_mags/set?id=137398638

Bonnie & Caroline's Outfit: /chapter_twenty-five_caroline_bonnie/set?id=137398565

**Get the Song:**

Grow Up by Paramore

YouTube DOT com /watch?v=QKLBcY-wg1A


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